Cheryl Coward

Cheryl Coward is a writer for Play Massachusetts with a background in sports journalism. She started her career as a news reporter in Washington, D.C. She’s a die-hard women’s basketball fanatic and founded the website Hoopfeed.com as a result of that passion.

Posts by Cheryl Coward:

MGM Springfield retail sportsbook: Everything you need to know

Everything You Need to Know About MGM Springfield’s Retail Sportsbook

MGM Springfield expects an influx of new customers when it begins offering retail Massachusetts sports betting on Jan. 31 at 10 a.m., with Boston Bruins legend Ray Bourque on hand to witness the event. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and two politicians who strongly backed sports betting legislation, State Representative Carlos González and State Senator Adam […]
Posted on: January 25, 2023 | Massachusetts casinos Massachusetts sports betting News Sports Betting | Cheryl Coward
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5 best things to do at MGM Springfield other than the sportsbook

6 Best Things to Do at MGM Springfield (Other Than Sports Betting)

With Massachusetts sports betting set to launch 10 a.m. on Jan. 31 at MGM Springfield and all retail locations in the state, MGM Springfield is about to get an influx of sports gamblers who may have never visited a casino before. Boasting a spacious, full-service casino resort that will soon include sports betting windows, MGM […]
Posted on: January 25, 2023 | Massachusetts casinos Massachusetts sports betting News Sports Betting | Cheryl Coward
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Rob Ninkovich will place first sports betting wager at Plainridge Park Casino

Plainridge Park Casino: Rob Ninkovich to Place First Sports Bet Jan. 31

The launch of retail sports betting in Massachusetts on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. is close at hand, and the state’s three casinos are planning opening day activities. Plainridge Park Casino is the first to reveal some launch day events. Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield have kept details of sports betting opening day “under wraps” […]
Posted on: January 24, 2023 | Massachusetts casinos Massachusetts sports betting News Sports Betting | Cheryl Coward
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Bill proposes to add a new casino in Leominster area

Gambling Revenue At Massachusetts Casinos Rises In 2022, Year Ends With Gains

December was a good month for casinos in the Commonwealth. With the expected opening day of their retail sportsbooks at the end of January, Massachusetts casinos entered the New Year with an uptick in gross gaming revenue (GGR) from table games and slots to cap 2022 on a good note. With 2020’s pandemic lows behind […]
Posted on: January 20, 2023 | casinos Encore Boston Harbor MA Gaming Commission Massachusetts casinos MGM Springfield News Sports Betting Wynn's Encore Boston Harbor | Cheryl Coward
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FanDuel Impresses MA Gaming Commission, Approval for Mobile Betting License Expected Soon

FanDuel Impresses MA Gaming Commission, Approval for Mobile Betting License Expected Soon

FanDuel Sportsbook is on its way to obtaining a Massachusetts online sports betting license. The sportsbook received a unanimous thumbs up from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) earlier this week. Commissioners agreed during the voting process that FanDuel met or exceeded all the criteria for an untethered Category 3 sports betting license. Untethered mobile operators […]
Posted on: January 11, 2023 | MA Gaming Commission Massachusetts sports betting News Sports Betting Super Bowl | Cheryl Coward
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Penn’s Barstool Sportsbook Granted MA Online Sports Betting License

Penn’s Barstool Sportsbook Granted MA Online Sports Betting License

Penn State Interactive (PSI) became the fourth online gambling operator to obtain a license to offer mobile sports betting in Massachusetts in a unanimous vote of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC). After weeks of public meetings and discussions, MGC members voted that PSI is “preliminarily suitable for a temporary Category 3 sports wagering operator license.” […]
Posted on: January 5, 2023 | Dave Portnoy MA Gaming Commission Massachusetts sports betting News Sports Betting | Cheryl Coward
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New MGM Springfield Executive Tasked With Increasing Action At Casino

MGM Springfield Experiences Slight Decrease in Gross Gaming Revenue in November

With the launch of retail sports betting on the horizon in Massachusetts, MGM Springfield saw a 3.78% dip in gross gaming revenue (GGR) during November for its tables and slots. In its monthly revenue report, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) revealed that the casino’s GGR declined by $865,011 in November. The slight decrease came after […]
Posted on: January 4, 2023 | casinos MA Gaming Commission Massachusetts sports betting MGM Springfield News Sports Betting | Cheryl Coward
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Steps to Jan. 31 Massachusetts sports betting launch

These Steps Must Happen for MA Sportsbooks to Launch Jan. 31

After years of debate on sports betting in Massachusetts, state lawmakers finally passed a bill to legalize the activity in August. However, on the cusp of 2023, MA residents are still waiting to place bets on games. Regulators are scrambling to formulate rules and approve operators who want to offer retail and online sports wagering. […]
Posted on: January 3, 2023 | MA Gaming Commission News Sports Betting | Cheryl Coward
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Revenue reports for April 2019 showed a downturn for Massachusetts casino revenue. May 2019's reports showed improvement. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission requires MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park casinos to file monthly revenue reports. The latest numbers are good news for the casino industry in the state. Massachusetts casino revenue details for May Gross gaming receipts for MGM in May 2019 totaled over $22 million. About 73%, over $16 million, of that revenue came from slot gaming. The other $6 million came from table games. Plainridge's slots pulled in nearly $15 million in May. Though both facilities have to file monthly reports with the commission, they pay different tax rates. The state-licensed MGM as a resort casino. Plainridge's license is for operation as a slot parlor. Plainridge pays a much higher tax rate because of that designation. May tax revenue from MGM and Plainridge Plainridge pays a 40% rate on its slot take to the state and another 9% to the state's Horse Racing Development Fund. Eighty-two percent of those tax funds are distributed to local aid. MGM pays a 25% rate on its gross receipts. That revenue divides up a dozen different ways, including education and local aid. The total tax revenue from MGM and Plainridge for May was $12.7 million. That number is an improvement from the previous month. April's diminished returns for Massachusetts The revenue and tax numbers for both facilities in April left a little to be desired. MGM reported gross receipts of $21.8 million. May's numbers improved by 2.2%. MGM's table games actually took in more in April ($6.3 million) than in May ($6.1 million), but its slots were down $700,000. Plainridge's slots were down $800,000 (4.8%) in May as compared to April. Those decreased revenues led to a difference of $400,000 (5.5%) in taxes paid. Looking at all the numbers for 2019 gives a better context for how both facilities have performed. Cumulative revenue for 2019 through May Through the first five months of 2019, MGM reports gross gaming receipts of over $111 million. The average monthly revenue is just over $22 million. Plainridge has pulled in $70 million in gross receipts in 2019. That averages $14 million per month. Looking at the averages, May was as good as any other month so far this year if not a little better. The tax revenue numbers could be improving soon. What about Encore Boston Harbor? Encore Boston Harbor just opened days ago, so a revenue report won't be filed until September for July's receipts. Even then, that report won't tell much about how the new casino is performing. The first report spanning a full month from Encore won't be available until October when receipts for August are filed. At that time we'll get some idea of how Encore is faring and how having new competition has affected MGM and Plainridge. Naturally, revenue at all three facilities could increase if Massachusetts sports betting became legal. When that could happen is anyone's guess, as the Massachusetts legislature seems unmotivated to make sports betting in Massachusetts legal anytime soon, although there is a hearing scheduled this week. May for MGM and Plainridge wasn't a banner month, but it was an improvement from April and par for the course for 2019.

Plainridge Park Casino Obtains “Temporary” Sports Betting License As Regulators Continue Investigation

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has awarded a temporary retail sports betting license to Plainridge Park Casino (PPC). The facility joins the state’s two other casinos, Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield, as entities with a Category 1 license for retail sports wagering. The PPC license comes with a “temporary” tag as the operator is […]
Posted on: December 23, 2022 | MA Gaming Commission Massachusetts sports betting News Sports Betting | Cheryl Coward
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New MGM Springfield Executive Tasked With Increasing Action At Casino

MGM Springfield Gets Green Light For Retail And Online Sports Betting

Eleven days after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) granted its first retail sportsbook license, the regulatory agency gave MGM Springfield its seal of approval in an unanimous vote. The Western Massachusetts resort casino also received a license for its online sports betting partner, BetMGM Sportsbook. This means that both retail and mobile sports betting will […]
Posted on: December 21, 2022 | casinos MA Gaming Commission Massachusetts casinos MGM Springfield News Sports Betting | Cheryl Coward
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