The Bay State’s three casinos won nearly $98 million from gamblers in August.
According to numbers released by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park Casino reported gross gaming revenue of $97.9 million. As a result, the state collected $27.6 million in taxes.
Those figures are roughly the same as in July, but up 5.9% year-over-year. In the five-year history of the state’s casino industry, this was the best August the properties have ever had.
Through the first eight months of 2023, Massachusetts casinos reported $796.5 million in revenue.
Encore Boston Harbor continues to lead the way
The Wynn Resorts-owned property in Everett was once again the highest-grossing casino in Massachusetts. Encore Boston Harbor recorded $61.3 million in revenue between its table games and slot machines.
Since the property opened in 2019, Encore Boston Harbor has been the highest earner every month. That didn’t change in August after winning $23.4 million at its table games and another $35.9 million from slot machines.
Encore Boston Harbor is one of two Class 1 casinos in the state. Thus, its revenue is taxed at 25% compared to 49% for a Class 2 facility.
MGM Springfield relies on slot revenue
MGM Resorts’ only Massachusetts property, MGM Springfield, was the second-highest earner in the state. But unlike the other Class 1 facility in Massachusetts, MGM made most of its money from slot machines.
MGM won a total of $23.5 million in August. However, 78.5% of the revenue came from slot machines. MGM reported revenue just north of $5 million from its table games and $18.5 million from slots.
We can expect these numbers to drop in September after the property was experiencing issues from a cybersecurity attack on all MGM Resorts properties nationwide.
Encore Boston’s Harbor’s total revenue was much closer to an even split. 58.6% came from slot machines and the remainder from table games.
Plainridge Park had lowest revenue but paid second-most in taxes
The Penn Entertainment-owned Plainridge Park Casino is a Class 2 facility. In other words, it’s all slot machines and no table games.
The property won nearly $13.1 million from its slot players, representing its gross gaming revenue.
Despite generating less revenue than MGM Springfield, the property paid more taxes to the state. Since Class 1 and Class 2 facilities are taxed at vastly different rates, Plainridge Park sent $6.4 million to government coffers, compared to MGM’s $5.8 million.
August casino revenue breakdown
| Casino | Table Games GGR | Slot Machine GGR | Total GGR | Taxes Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Encore Boston Harbor | $25,361,672 | $35,958,648 | $61,320,321 | $15,330,080 |
| MGM Springfield | $5,054,828 | $18,470,471 | $23,525,299 | $5,881,324 |
| Plainridge Park | N/A | $13,079,840 | $13,079,840 | $6,409,121 |
| Totals | $30,416,500 | $67,508,959 | $97,925,460 | $27,620,526 |
A complete breakdown of all gaming revenue can be found on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission website.
