How does a casino operate during a pandemic given that the very existence of the business depends on the interaction of gamblers and staff? Whether craps, baccarat, blackjack or poker, there’s an inherent need for personal engagement at the table. So when the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett reopened on July 12, the challenge to meet the six-foot social distancing requirement, shielding players from each other at the table, as well as other Covid-19 safety measures, was a daunting task.
This reporter embarked on a recent visit to see how the casino was doing, and the methods it implemented to meet Covid guidelines.
The trip began with a free bus ride from Chinatown, just outside the gate. Before boarding the spacious brown bus, the driver conducted a sanitizing wipe down of the seats and doors. Satisfied with the results, he called for us to board. Joining me was my escort from the Encore media relations department, Bethany Gibbons, along with five Chinatown locals.
The Encore website states that the bus ride can take up to 45 minutes, but with no traffic, we cruised over the Zakim Bridge and arrived in 15 minutes. All entrances to the casino have been closed except for one to more easily maintain social distancing of customers entering the hotel and casino. We got off the bus and entered in a single-file line to the main entry point of the casino.
Before entering, we passed by an employee at a podium with a thermal imaging camera positioned on a tripod next to her that immediately read our temperatures and flashed it on a computer monitor. We all passed the temperature reading test (anyone with a temperature over 100.4 Fahrenheit is not allowed in) and quickly entered the main floor of the casino. Of course, we were all wearing face masks, which are mandatory, and if you don’t have one, Encore will provide complimentary coverings.
It was evident that a lot of time and work had gone into making it a safe gambling haven. Every table game had plexiglass dividers between fellow players and the dealers, and only three players are allowed at each table, half the normal amount. Plexiglass was ubiquitous: on all the slot machines, on food carts, and in cafés. With plexiglass dividers screwed into the soft, green felt of the card tables, one could imagine the pain the work crew felt as they cut holes into the meticulously fabricated tables only a year old, which they will eventually have to refurbish when the plexiglass is removed.
During the pandemic, the only card games allowed are baccarat and blackjack. There are 2,500 table games in the two-floor casino and 3,100 slot machines, but for the reopening, table games have been reduced to 560 and the slot machines were cut back to 1,900.
Encore shutdown March 14 and during the closure spent the entire time preparing for the reopening. “As you can imagine, things were changing daily,” Gibbons said. “We were closed for almost four months, and we were working throughout to obtain the plexiglass, figure out where it was going, all of that. We were always behind the scenes working on getting this up. The gaming commission was changing their regulations; the state was changing their regulations so we had to work with everybody throughout that. Throughout the closure, we were updating everything and getting everything ready.”
Statewide, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission laid down the rules: no poker, craps or roulettes, she said, but they do have video versions of each game that can be played. Some slot machines are turned off to keep the seating distance as six feet, but where that is not possible, they have installed plexiglass between the seating areas. They also regularly clean the machines with sanitizer, and hand sanitation stations are located throughout the casino.
We visited on Thursday arriving around 11:15 a.m., and there were people at some of the card tables, and slot machine players spread out around the floor, but certainly it was not the bustling, vociferous atmosphere one would normally encounter at a casino. The restaurants were mostly empty, as were the food carts. The staff seemed eager to do their jobs, and many remained busy cleaning their respective areas. Dealers sat patiently at their tables, waiting for patrons. Some tables had one or two players, but most were empty, albeit a pre-noon crowd.
Ten restaurants were open at the time, with four closed. Some restaurants like the Mystique Asian fusion restaurant and the Rare Steakhouse are open for evening dining only. The hotel is also open, and at noon, about a dozen people were waiting in line to register.
In addition to the regular cleaning going on, Gibbons mentioned that the air filtration system in the casino is also state of the art, an important feature for coronavirus safety. The air temperature inside was very comfortable, despite the extreme hot temperature outside, and the air was fresh and clean to breathe: no smoke or extraneous odors.
The casino has a ballroom for live entertainment but that will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
To get to and from the casino, there are multitudes of buses servicing different areas of Boston, and a water taxi, but it is only operating Friday through Sunday from Rowes Wharf.
