Massachusetts Casino Revenue Nearly $100 Million in April

Gambling remains robust in The Bay State. Casinos in Massachusetts reported nearly $100 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in April, generating $27.9 million in taxes.

April’s $99.1 million GGR was down less than 3% from March’s $102 million. March’s total was boosted by college basketball’s March Madness. Tax revenue of $28.6 million in March was nearly proportional to April. Revenue in April was up 15% from April 2021 ($84.6 million). Taxes were up 14% from last April ($24.1 million).

Online casinos are still unavailable in Massachusetts, meaning the state’s three brick-and-mortar facilities are the only places to place wagers legally within the state. 

Encore Boston Harbor

In April, Encore Boston Harbor accounted for nearly two-thirds of all Massachusetts GGR, totaling $63.7 million. Action was nearly even between slots ($34.1 million) and table games ($29.6 million). Taxes totaled $15.9 million.

Casino revenue slightly outperformed statewide monthly figures, as revenue dropped 1.9% from the $64.9 million in March. Nonetheless, it was still the second-largest GGR posted in recent months, even outperforming several months from the 2021 NFL season.

• April: $63.7 million
• March: $64.9 million
• February: $54.7 million
• January: $54 million
• December: $62.4 million
• November: $55.2 million
• October: $62.8 million

The casino’s nearly $16 million paid in taxes is 21% greater than from April 2021 ($12.5 million). The amount came within $300,000 of matching March’s $16.2 million.

MGM Springfield

MGM Springfield is the second-largest casino in Massachusetts, reporting $22.5 million GGR in April. While this number is less than March’s $24.3 million, it is still up significantly from February ($19.9 million) and represents a 2.7% increase from April 2021 ($21.9 million)

Slots reigned supreme at MGM Springfield, with $18.4 million in slot GGR accounting for more than 80% of the casino’s action. Table games ($4.1 million) comprised the rest.

The casino paid $5.6 million in state taxes for the month, an increase from last April’s $5.4 million. That figure fell below March’s $6.1 million but exceeded the $5 million from February.

MGM Springfield’s GGR since last October:

• April: $22.5 million
• March: $24.3 million
• February: $19.9 million
• January: $18.6 million
• December: $22.2 million
• November: $21.7 million
• October: $21.4 million 

Plainridge Park Casino

Plainridge Park Casino (PPC) is a slots-only venue, a Category 2 casino.

Revenue at PPC came to $12.9 million, just $29,000 shy of March. This amounts to a 3% increase from April 2021, when the casino posted $12.5 million in GGR.

For the second consecutive month, PPC  paid $6.3 million in state taxes, as 49% of Category 2 casino GGR is paid in taxes. 

Recent Plainridge Park GGR:

• April: $12.9 million
• March: $12.9 million
• February: $11 million
• January: $9.8 million
• December: $11 million
• November: $11 million
• October: $11.7 million

Building on a milestone

As of February, Massachusetts gaming revenue reached a milestone of $1 billion in proceeds from taxes and assessments.

As casinos in Massachusetts reported nearly $100 million in gross gaming revenue in April, adding another $27.9 million to that running total, it means it will likely surpass $1.1 billion this summer and only continue to climb from there.

The Expanded Gaming Act (EGA) was signed into law in 2011, legalizing three casino resorts and opening a profitable channel for revenue for the state.

Since then, revenue has gone to 12 different areas of development. It aids local entities and funds numerous statewide services, such as transportation, education, debt and long-term liability reduction, and gaming economic development. 

A full breakdown of GGR tax allocations can be found on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission website.