MGM Springfield resumes its 24-hour operation Friday in Massachusetts

Massachusetts is waiting for casinos to reach 24-hour operational capacity, and MGM Springfield will be operating 24/7 on Friday.

MGM Springfield returns to Friday 24 hour business

As Massachusetts has allowed casinos to return to 24-hour hours, albeit with reduced bandwidth, the state's major real estate is gearing up for a reboot. MGM Springfield will return to work around the clock next Friday, January 29.

After Governor Charlie Baker announced last week that some blocking measures will be lifted, casinos will no longer need to close between 9:30 PM and 8:00 AM. Instead, they will have the opportunity to try to secure more interests overnight.

This measure is a good step forward for state casinos as they traditionally generate the most turnover after 22:00. Even if the governor has agreed to 24-hour operation, the health authorities will not approve lifting the 25% capacity cap anytime soon, but that shouldn't be a problem.

Casino equipment should be returned

However, casino amenities may start to reopen over time, albeit to a limited extent. Food service is also slowly making a comeback, but as transmission risk is higher in gastronomy, many casinos have chosen to keep it purely as a backbone service.

Companies won't have to close at 9.30am, which is another relief for casinos as more nightlife means more foot traffic. One of the reasons the Baker government approved the casinos reopening to full capacity is because hospitalizations in the state fell by 10% in Massachusetts and the number of positive tests fell by another 33%.

As part of its return to business, MGM Springfield has also developed a seven point reopening plan to allow the facility to have maximum control over what happens on the casino floor.

All start-up casinos

This includes mask requirements, social distancing, air quality control, employee health checks, and frequent decontamination of all casino areas. Meanwhile, Encore Boston Harbor and Plainridge Park have decided to get back to full scale sooner and will start doing so from Wednesday.

Casinos are doing quite well despite the difficulties faced by the entire industry. December's results generated $ 50 million in gross gaming revenue, a slight improvement from November's results of $ 45 million.

The 25% capacity cap is not an issue here, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission recently said, explaining that even before the pandemic, casinos were never able to fill the 25% capacity, and occupancy actually averaged 19% according to the regulator.

Meanwhile, the state is looking for an opportunity to introduce sports betting, which could be another profitable income aspect in a cash-limited budget.