Encore Casino Reopening
71% of Encore staff affected
The Encore Boston Harbor in Everett has placed 3,000 staff on furlough, just days ahead of its anticipated July reopening. In line with Massachusetts’ Phase Three rollout target date of July 6, Boston’s only casino resort has implemented a COVID-19 refit and hopes to open its doors to guests early July, subject to Governor Charlie Baker’s approval.
on furlough “until business demand dictates”
Jul 9, 2020, 12:20pm EDT Ahead of Encore Boston Harbor's July 12 reopening, the resort casino is bringing back 1,700 employees of the 3,000 that had been furloughed at the beginning of this month. Wynn Resorts’ Encore Boston Harbor won’t reopen for another week and, when it does, the majority of the employees won’t be arriving. In an announcement made yesterday, Encore said that it will. “Pending final approval, Encore Boston Harbor plans to re-open the casino gaming area and supporting food and beverage outlets around the casino,” read a statement from the casino. “It also plans to open the hotel on a limited basis. When it re-opens, Encore Boston Harbor will bring back its employees in a thoughtful and measured protocol. (WHDH) - Encore Boston Harbor announced it will close its casino for two weeks, beginning Sunday morning, amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Encore Boston Harbor Sets Reopening Date - Malden, MA - The resort and casino will open with new health and safety measures under Phase 3 of the state's reopening plan.
In a statement, the Encore Boston Harbor described the furloughs as part of “very difficult decisions”. Although it has furloughed around 3,000 of its 4,200-strong workforce, it said some staff will return to the resort for training once the reopening dates are officially announced. Those not invited back will stay on furlough “until business demand dictates.”
This latest round of cuts follows Encore’s May announcement of its plans to furlough 10% of its staff, which means 81% of its employees are now out of work.
Counting the cost
Wynn Resorts, Encore’s holding company, made the decision to continue paying staff across North America for 75 days after closures. This sits in stark contrast to Caesars Entertainment, which furloughed 90% of its employees back in April.
Holding back on mass furloughs until now, Wynn Resorts said it spent $3m a day on its staff between the coronavirus-impacted months of March and May. This has cost the company around $220m.
spent $3m a day on its staff
Massachusetts received about $582m in taxes and assessments from the state’s three casino operators combined by March.
Changes in place
The casino, which forms part of the $2.6bn Encore Boston Harbor project,plans to open on a limited basis in July. The resort’s hotel service will be limited to four nights a week. Changes have been made to the property’s open gaming areas, while new guidelines are in place for amenities and food and beverage sales, with dining capacity also downscaled.
switching off every other slot machine, removing seating to ensure social distancing, and reducing capacity to 25%
Along with the state’s other two casinos, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park, the Encore Boston Harbor property has been working on reopening preparations with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The commission signed off on requirements that include casinos switching off every other slot machine, removing seating to ensure social distancing, and reducing capacity to 25%.
The Encore Boston Harbor’s own reopening guidelines, issued in May, included QR code menus, plexiglass partitions, temperature checks, and personal protective equipment for staff.
© Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff People headed toward the Encore Boston Harbor resort casino in Everett as it reopened after being closed for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The gaming experience is vastly different from the one that existed pre-pandemic.EVERETT — As Marcia Hamilton drove into Encore Boston Harbor for the casino’s reopening Sunday morning, she saw employees outside, waving at her.
“It put a big smile on my face,” said Hamilton, 73, of Cambridge, who came to the casino for the slot machines — and just to get out of the house after months of quarantine. “I’m glad I’m back. I’m glad they’re working.”
Encore Boston Harbor, which had been shuttered since March when the state ordered business closures because of the coronavirus pandemic, reopened Sunday to a steady trickle of guests, excited to don masks and slather on hand sanitizer for a chance to get back on the floor.
The casino looked in many ways the same as it has — bright lights, colorful video slot machines, and people milling about, trying to find a lucky spot.
But reminders of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 8,000 people dead in Massachusetts since March, are everywhere. All employees and guests had to wear protective face coverings. When a gambler left a slot machine, a staff member swooped in with cleaning supplies.
The goal is “fun done safely,” said Eric Kraus, Encore’s head of public affairs.
Encore’s return, part of Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan, came after careful consideration from casino administrators and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which set minimum standards for Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park, from the dimensions of plexiglass dividers between slot machines to where and when guests can have a drink.
The Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville opened Wednesday; MGM Springfield is opening its casino Monday, though its hotel will remain closed.
The Encore resort, which had about 4,200 employees in March, closed its doors but kept paying employees through the end of May, Kraus said. They furloughed about 11 percent of them at the beginning of June and another 3,000 at the start of July, before their reopening date was announced.
When the state gave the green light to the casino floor’s reopening, Encore brought back 1,700 employees. Every employee back at work has been tested for the coronavirus in the past week, Kraus said. They, like guests, have to have their temperatures taken when they come in, and anyone with a fever higher than 100.4 degrees will be sent home.
Though most people coming in Sunday brought their own protective face coverings, Kraus said staff have disposable paper masks on hand to give patrons who came without. Anyone not willing to wear a face covering will be asked to leave, he said.
Encore was able to learn from other casinos operated by its parent company, Wynn Resorts, in Macau and Las Vegas, Kraus said.
“We want you to leave your concerns behind and have a fun, enjoyable experience,” Kraus said.
As guests left the parking lot Sunday morning to enter the casino, they saw a large sign by the elevators to the casino floor reminding them not to enter if they feel sick or have recently come into contact with someone who had contracted the virus. Staff checking IDs at the entrance asked them to briefly lower their face masks and scanned them for high fevers. There were the newly installed plexiglass barriers between video slot machines and similar barriers keeping dealers and gamblers separated at tables.
Encore Boston Casino Reopening Date
It was not yet business as usual: Poker isn’t available. Neither are roulette and craps. Gamblers at table games are not touching the cards.
The Center Bar and nightclub remain closed, under state orders, and so is the spa. Gamblers can drink while seated at their machines but have to finish or throw away their drinks and put their masks back on when they move around the floor. Eating is allowed only in designated areas, and guests have to use their phones to pull up a menu and order.
Keronnie Leftdwrige, 42 of Chelmsford, came to Encore Sunday morning in a Caroline Panthers mask, a small tribute to his North Carolina roots. He noticed the new hand sanitizer stations, too.
“I’m out of the house,” he said. “That’s good.”
Before the pandemic, he typically came to play slots every other weekend, but while Encore was closed he made the significantly longer trip to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he said.
He was glad to be back, he said, trying his luck at the slot machines.
Encore Casino Everett Ma Reopening
“It’s up and down right now,” he said Sunday morning. “I’m not trying to give too much money away on the first day back.”