Winning Slot Machines At Encore Boston

The 1,800+ slot machines at Encore Boston Harbor offer games for every enthusiast, from video slots to reel slots, video poker and electronic table games. Enjoy baccarat, blackjack and roulette at our fully automated or dealer assisted tables, with the ease and fun of faster play.

Encore Boston Slot Winners
Slot Machines At Encore Boston
Winning Slot Machines At Encore Boston Harbor
Encore Boston Slots Wins

BOSTON - Picture it. The Encore Boston Harbor casino, February 2020. It's a surprisingly warm Friday night and you and some friends feel like taking just a little bit of money to the nearby gambling facility to see if you can win big. What's the first area of the casino you gravitate towards? For most people, the answer to that question would be the slot machines. They're practically synonymous with casinos, after all. That is why Encore had such a disaster on their hands at the outset of this past weekend.

On Friday night a number of slot machines malfunctioned and shut down entirely after an unknown error, per Boston 25 News. According to Wynn Resorts, the group that operates Encore Boston Harbor, the reason for this unexpected outage was a 'computer issue.' Wynn Resorts did say that they expect the slot machines to be back in action soon, but they would not disclose how many slot machines were impacted by the computer outage.

This is poor timing for Encore, especially since Friday is one of the busiest nights for casinos. Fortunately, for people who won on the slot machines, they will still get their due. Employees delivered winnings by hand and they are still currently paying what people are owed from their winnings as they work to resolve the issue entirely.

This news comes only shortly after the revelation that the gambling revenues from Encore were down. As detailed by Boston.com, Encore generated $49 million in revenue across January, which was a significant decrease from December's $54 million earnings. A change in season could have been to blame for the fall, if not for the fact that two other casinos, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park, both increased their revenue in the month of January.

There have been a lot of growing pains ever since Encore opened back in the summer of 2019 and it still seems like the Boston Harbor casino has not yet found its footing. Perhaps the decrease in revenue and the slot machine outage will compound to become a motivating impetus for Encore to better get its act together.

Image via Yelp/Ron Y.

Unlike the majority of states in America, it's hard to say where exactly Massachusetts stands when it comes to gambling.

Technically, online casinos are not allowed to operate in the state, yet there is no set law against them.

However, residents of the Bay State are permitted to gamble at land-based casinos as well as place wagers on horse races. There's also a state lottery, and charitable gaming allowed.

The legality of gambling has always been somewhat of a question mark in Massachusetts. However, the industry is growing with multiple new casino resorts opening over the past fewyears.

Could online casinos see the day where they can operate legally in MA? What are residents meant to do for their gaming needs in the meantime?

Let's take a look.

OnlineCasinos in Massachusetts

Online casinos are not legal in Massachusetts yet, however, the laws behind it are a little more complex than other states.

While casinos could face punishment for trying to operate online, the state is more lenient towards players.

If you are gambling online and win $5+, you could be fined twice of what you won. The same applies for if you lose $5 or more.

This means technically if you can keep it under $5, you shouldn't find yourself in any trouble with the law.

Massachusetts is more interested in legalizing online sports betting, but hopefully, online casinos will follow shortly after.

Land-Based Casinos in Massachusetts

Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill in late 2011 that legalized casinos in Massachusetts.

The law allowed three casinos in three different geographic regions, plus one slot parlor.

That slot parlor, Plainridge Park Casino, is a harness racing track located about 40 miles southwest of Boston and opened on June 24, 2015.

Gaming regulations for Massachusetts casinos require a minimum payback of 80% on all gaming machines. The payback percentages for slot machines at all casinos in Massachusetts are released as amatter of public record. Just click here to see a list of slot machine payback statistics for allMassachusetts casinos.

NOTE: If you happen to win a jackpot of $600 or more in Massachusetts, the casino will withhold 5% and send it to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

You may, however, be able to get some of that money refunded by filing a state income tax return.

The $600 threshold also applies to any cash prizes won in casino drawings or tournaments, as well as the fair market value of non-cash prizes such as cars, houses, and trips.

Types of Casinos in Massachusetts

The first resort-casino license in Region B (Western Massachusetts) was awarded to MGM Resorts and their $1.3 billion casino - MGM Springfield - opened in late 2018.

The second license for Region A (Eastern Massachusetts) was awarded to Wynn Resorts and the $2 billion Encore Boston Harbor opened in 2019.

Encore Boston Slot Winners

The Encore Casino is the closest casino to Boston.

The final license for Region C (Southeastern Massachusetts) had not yet been awarded as of 2020.

Indian Casinos

There are two tribes in Massachusetts currently battling the government for the right to build a casino on their land.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is planning to build a destination resort casino near Taunton. That facility, First Light Casino, was expected to open by early 2019.

However, the project has been hampered by lawsuits that have stopped it from being completed.

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) also had plans to open a casino in an old community center back in 2013 which was stopped due to the state claiming the tribe had given up theirland in 1993.

The Aquinnah fought back by saying the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act had overseen this and ended up winning the battle in 2018.

Both tribes are still in the planning process for the gaming venues.

Pari-Mutuel Betting

Horse racing is one of the oldest forms of legal gambling in Massachusetts.

Dog racing was legal from the 1930s up until 2010 when the Massachusetts Greyhound Protection Act deemed it illegal.

Today, there is only one horse race track that accepts pari-mutuel wagering in MA; Plainridge Racecourse. Residents can go watch live horse races from April to November.

The other tracks, Raynham Park and Suffolk Downs, offer simulcast wagering on races.

List Of Land-Based Casinos In Massachusetts

Click on any of the casinos listed below to learn more about each.

Slot Machines At Encore Boston

Encore Boston Harbor

1 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149
1 857-770-7000
Games: Slot Machines, Table Games (blackjack, roulette, craps, poker), High Limit

First Light Resort & Casino

Not Open

Horizon's Edge Casino Cruises - Massachusetts

Permanently Closed

MGM Springfield