Will MGM Springfield’s Poker Room Be Big Enough To Compete?
[toc]MGM recently updated the state of Massachusetts on its MGM Springfield project during a presentation made in front of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The project is still on schedule for a September 2018 opening.
In addition to updating the MGC on its progress, MGM revealed a few new tidbits about the $1 billion casino project, including the floor plan, and some information on the size and location of the property’s poker room.
Finding the MGM Springfield poker room
Based on the plans, the poker room will be located on the first floor on the far western side the casino. This location grants easy access from the casino’s MGM Way entrance as well as the main parking garage.
According to the floor plan, the poker room is across from the main casino floor. It is separated by what looks like a main walkway. It will be next door to the food market.
Poker room specifics
The footprint of the poker room is up from 20 to 23 tables. MGM cites trends in social communal gaming for the modest increase in tables.
The poker room features a 21-table main room, and what appears to be a separate two-table room, likely reserved for high-limit action. The plans also show a sizable lobby area, multiple entry points, and what look like dedicated cashier cages for poker room patrons.
Does size matter?
MGM increased the size of the room by a few tables, but the MGM Springfield poker room will still be the smallest of the region’s resort casinos.
- Wynn Boston Harbor is planning to open with a 90-plus table poker room in 2019.
- The Foxwoods poker room is one of the largest in the country, boasting over 100 tables.
- The number of tables in Mohegan Sun’s poker room numbers 42.
The only New England casino with fewer poker tables than MGM Springfield is Twin River in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The former racetrack turned slots parlor turned full casino opened a 22-table poker room last year.
Twin River is growing, but putting it in the same category as Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, MGM, or Wynn is a stretch.
It would seem MGM is content to open with a Vegas-sized poker room, in a market that will soon have two California-sized card rooms.
When it opens, MGM will likely be a hotspot for poker as players flock to the new casino. However, as time goes on, MGM may be relegated to a distant third behind Foxwoods and Wynn.
