Encore Boston Harbor Sports Betting

Last year, Encore Boston Harbor officially applied for a MA retail sports betting license. Last winter, it was granted a Massachusetts sports betting license, the first in the state. The facility started offering legal sports betting on Tuesday, January 31 at 10 a.m. Bets at Encore Boston Harbor are placed through WynnBET Massachusetts.

Right now, Encore Boston Harbor is one of three Massachusetts retail casinos to offer sports betting. The casino passed the Plainridge Park Casino and the MGM Springfield Casino for licensing after the MGC delayed both votes due to concerns about the casinos’ operating partnerships. Encore Boston Harbor’s application ensured it checked all the boxes to stand alone as a retail sports betting application, allowing the MGC to make a decision for the first time in three attempts. However, Plainridge Park and MGM Springfield now offer retail sports betting as well.

Mobile betting also launched March 10. WynnBET’s mobile sportsbook app is live in Massachusetts.

Encore Boston Harbor Casino Games

Encore Boston Harbor is a casino resort that would rival most Las Vegas Strip casinos in terms of its offerings. There is truly something for everyone. Located in the facility are thousands of slot machines, dozens of table games, and a poker room. The addition of sports betting will take Encore Boston to the next level.

Here is a closer look at the many gaming options that you can find when you visit:

Slot Machines

Encore Boston Harbor has more than 2,700 slots. Every type of slot machine is available for play. There are reel games, progressive jackpot slots, and multimedia machines. Some of the prominent games at Encore Boston Harbor include the following:

• Monopoly (multiple versions)
• Wheel of Fortune (multiple versions)
• 88 Fortunes
• Blazing 7s
• Fu Dao Le

In addition to the many slot machine options, there are also numerous video poker games and electronic table machines.

Table Games

Encore Boston Harbor casino offers more than 185 table games on-site. These games are available through both regular game formats on the floor and six high-limit gambling salons. The salons offer dedicated butlers to care for customers and terrace views overlooking the casino. Table games that you can play at Encore Boston Harbor are as follows:

• Baccarat
• Big Six
• Blackjack
• Craps
• Crazy 4
• Pai Gow Poker
• Pai Gow Tiles
• Roulette
• Three Card Poker
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em
• War

Several of these games are available in a couple of formats besides the standard live games. There are numerous electronic table games available on the floor, including baccarat, Big Six, craps and roulette. In addition, Encore maintains several Dynasty machines, which allow you to play several games at once. At a single machine, you can take part in baccarat, blackjack and roulette without ever standing up.

Poker

Encore Boston Harbor’s poker room is located in the area of the casino known as The Loft, on the second floor mezzanine. There are 15 tables available for play, with a variety of cleaning procedures and protocols in effect. The Encore Boston Harbor poker room’s hours are 10-4 a.m. daily.

Encore Boston Harbor Amenities

The Harborwalk is a six-acre garden park that incorporates the waterfront setting of Encore into a set of walking trails. The manicured lawns and gardens feature flower arrangements and allow a view of Boston Harbor not available for more than 100 years. Encore hosts live music on the lawn.

There are no fewer than 14 restaurants and bars at the casino resort. Cuisine options include steak, Italian, Cantonese, sushi, charcuterie, and an on-site microbrewery. Of course, since it’s Boston, there is also a Shake Shack and a Dunkin’ on the premises.

Wynn Rewards

Like most major casino companies, Wynn Resorts offers a loyalty program for guests at all of its locations, including Encore Boston Harbor. Each dollar that you wager will get you points, and points are good for both placement on the program’s tiers and redemption for various comps, like free slot play, restaurant credits, and other on-site benefits. The Wynn Rewards program has three tiers:

• Red — up to 6,999 points
• Platinum — 7,000 to 69,999 points
• Black — 70,000+ points

Each tier offers escalating levels of benefits. At the highest levels, players can receive their own complimentary hotel stays at both Boston Harbor and Wynn Las Vegas, rides to and from the airport, and other perks. Every $5 that you bet on slots or $10 to $20 on table games is worth one point, and you receive $5 in free slot play for every 500 points. Play at Encore Boston Harbor also generates CompDollars, which you can spend at on-site shops and restaurants.

Responsible Gambling at Encore Boston Harbor

When gambling, it is important to remember to always play responsibly. Like all gambling locations in Massachusetts, Encore Boston Harbor is home to a GameSense booth on the casino floor. GameSense is an initiative funded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission that aims to provide a resource for problem gamblers at their most vulnerable locations. GameSense counselors can offer suggestions for strategies on how to manage one’s gambling, knock down common myths about gambling, or just usher players into a relief space to catch their breath.

Few states have developed their responsible gambling resources as much as Massachusetts, and the presence at Encore Boston Harbor is evident of that care.

Encore Boston Harbor History

Like many locations in the Boston area, Encore Boston Harbor sits on a piece of land with a long and colorful history. The parcel was home to a dye house in the early 1800s and later saw a succession of chemical companies and manufacturers take up residence. The land served as an industrial zone for nearly two centuries before it was purchased and slated for redevelopment. Consequently, when Wynn Resorts submitted its proposal to Mass Gaming, it had to attach a Final Environmental Impact Report to show that the site’s contamination had been sufficiently addressed.

Wynn finally won its license to construct on the property in September 2014. The company managed to secure the permit by agreeing to several conditions, including traffic improvements in the area. In fact, the aforementioned Harborwalk was part of the deal.

Wynn Resorts initially projected that the casino, dubbed Wynn Everett, would open in 2018. However, both the company and the project ran into a major issue when Wynn Resorts founder and CEO Steve Wynn came under fire for numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. Wynn left the company shortly after the allegations arose, but Mass Gaming still levied a $35 million fine against the company for its failure to disclose known concerns about Wynn’s behavior. Nevertheless, Wynn Everett received the green light to open shortly after the fine’s issuance in April 2019. Wynn Resorts renamed the casino to its present moniker, Encore Boston Harbor, in an effort to distance it from the scandal.

Since then, however, Encore Boston Harbor has become a fixture in the Boston area. Its monthly revenues have routinely exceeded $50 million in gross gambling revenue, and the state has collected more than $300 million in taxes since the property’s debut in June 2019. Although there continue to be some complaints about various aspects of the property, Encore Boston Harbor does not appear to be going away anytime soon.