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Poker In Massachusetts: State's First Card Room Opens

MGM Springfield Kicked Off Gaming Last Week

by Brian Pempus  |  Published: Aug 28, 2018  |  

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The Bay State last week saw its first Las Vegas-style casino open its doors, which included a 23-table poker room.

The nearly $1 billion MGM Springfield opened Aug. 24, the first true casino for the state since lawmakers approved the gambling facilities in 2011. A slots-only casino in Plainville opened in 2015.

In addition to its poker room, MGM Springfield is equipped with 2,550 slot machines, 120 gaming tables and a high-limit VIP gaming lounge. The casino has 125,000 square feet of gaming space. For comparison, MGM Resorts’ flagship casino in Las Vegas, MGM Grand, has more than 170,000 square feet of gaming space.

The casino is located 80 miles west of Boston with access to Interstate 91 and the Mass. Pike, MGM said in a news release. A rival casino called Encore Boston Harbor, from Wynn Resorts, is currently under construction right outside Boston. That casino is planning a 90-table poker room.

MGM Springfield’s decision for 23 poker tables was actually a boost from a previous plan for 20 tables. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said on Twitter late last year that MGM’s move to increase the number of tables was designed to “accommodate [an] emerging gaming trend for [a] more interactive/communal experience.”

Poker players in the Bay State historically have had to travel to casinos or charity poker rooms in neighboring states to find games other than home games.

Here’s a look at some photos of the poker room courtesy of Gary Trask at CasinoCity:

 
 
Tags: Massachusetts,   MGM Springfield,   Poker Room,   Encore Boston Harbor
 
 
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