Casino Near Brockton Ma
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.
CASINOS in & near BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS - 2020 up-to-date list Plainville Plainridge Park Casino The Plainridge Park Casino is located in Plainville, Massachusetts. Next to a live Harness Racing and Simulcast facility, the Casino features 1,200 slot machines, video p. Browse our selection of 2 Casino hotels & resorts in Franklin, MA for the ultimate stay & play vacation. Make your casino vacation a sure bet with Expedia and save your money & time. The Plainridge Park Casino of Plainville is the only gaming establishment known in the State of MA. The casino is located next to a live Harness racing and Simulcast facility. Gamblers can bet on the horseraces but also on the 1,200 slot machines, video poker and electronic Blackjack also featured here.
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.
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.
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
- One MGM Way, Springfield, MA 01103
- 1 413-273-5000
- Games: Slot machines, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, Pai Gow, three card poker, four card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em, War, Big 6, Let It Ride, and Spanish 21
Plainridge Park Casino
- 301 Washington St, Plainville, MA 02762
- 1 508-576-4500
- Games: Electronic Machines
Massachusetts Land-Based Casinos Map
Map
-->Last Thursday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 3-1 against the proposed reconsideration that was on the table regarding the Brockton Fairgrounds casino.
This was the first vote since April 2016 when the MGC originally denied the Brockton Fairgrounds casino.
Arguments for Casino 'Insufficient'
In terms of why the vote came about, key members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission told Brockton's newspaper, the Enterprise News, that “they have the statutory authority to reconsider past decisions, but said the reasons argued by the casino company, Mass Gaming & Entertainment, were insufficient.”
Furthermore, the fear from many commissioners of the MGC was that the reconsideration process would ultimately prove to be unfair. Specifically unfair to the other businesses and groups that could jump into the application process for the Region C license now in place in southeastern Massachusetts law.
Neil Bluhm, an American billionaire real and casino mogul worth a reported $4 billion, has been the key energy behind the Brockton Fairgrounds casino proposal.
But even he is getting worn down by this process. He told the MGC (according to Boston radio station WBUR) that he has spent millions of dollars and five years of his life and time on studies and planning with the hope and eventual plan of constructing a Brockton Faigrounds casino.
“I don’t honestly know how long you expect us to be hanging around here for Brockton,” Bluhm told the commission, the Enterprise News reported. “I don’t see why you can’t vote that you have the authority to reconsider, and then for a period of time see what interest there is for others to potentially bid on this. And then if you have no interest, then you can go back and make your decision. But to vote that you are not going to reopen this under any circumstances? I don’t know how I could continue to hang in here on behalf of Brockton.”
Bluhm Frustrated by Decision, Tired of Process
Bluhm is Chairman of the Board of Midwest Gaming & Entertainment which owns casinos in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois, and Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls, Canada.
When the 2016 decision came about Bluhm made the argument that the commission chose to do so with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe looking to open a resort and casino roughly 15 miles away in Taunton, a city in Bristol County. Just this summer in Boston, about 25 miles north of Brockton, the Encore Boston Harbor Casino opened to great fanfare and had success right away.
All in all, Bluhm reported to Enterprise News that this proposed casino would have created $351 million in revenue annually, $55 million in gambling taxes for the state, about $10 million per year to the city of Brockton and north of $14 million for various public safety improvements. Mass Gaming & Entertainment also quoted the casino plans to have created 1,800 jobs permanently and 2,000 construction jobs.
It seems as if these plans will be shelved for quite some time and perhaps never come back as Ward 5 Councilor Anne Beauregard made it clear it is now going to be about finding alternatives for the Brockton Fairgrounds location. George Carney, a local businessman owns the spot as he teamed up with Bluhm to create Mass Gaming & Entertainment.
“I am thrilled we can finally put this to bed,” Beauregard told Enterprise News. “We can start looking at a productive use for the fairgrounds that’s advantageous to the future of the community of Brockton.”
The Brockton Fairgrounds won’t have a casino on site in the near future, but casinos elsewhere could pop up in Massachusetts. It is time to table that discussion once again.
Check out legal online gambling options available at PA Online Casinos
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sharetweetcopy linkLink copied!WRITTEN BY@JakePerper<p>Jake Perper covers casino news for TopUSCasinos.com. A veteran of more than a decade of sports writing, he has covered the Chicago Bears for the Bears Backer blog, and his stories have also appeared on nfl.com, The Tampa Tribune, The Naples Daily News and Bleacher Report. He is also the leas scout for Prep Hoops Florida, based in Tampa.</p>... Read More<p>Jake Perper covers casino news for TopUSCasinos.com. A veteran of more than a decade of sports writing, he has covered the Chicago Bears for the Bears Backer blog, and his stories have also appeared on nfl.com, The Tampa Tribune, The Naples Daily News and Bleacher Report. He is also the leas scout for Prep Hoops Florida, based in Tampa.</p>... Read MoreARTICLES YOU MAY LIKE
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