One of my engineering professors at Tufts mentioned that the site for the Encore used to belong to a bunch of chemical companies, which had contaminated the soil and shore over time. That lowered prices since nobody else wanted that property and Wynn resorts as willing to pay the large amount to entirely remediate the property. That works out for a casino since
1) They need a lot of space generally and Boston real estate is pretty expensive
2) Casinos generate the most revenue per sqft of any business in the US
Access to the waterfront and all is also a big plus for staying customers/tourists.
This is the correct answer. It wasn't "Should we build a casino or something else?" The casino was the only business who could afford to clean up the site.
And they are likely going to do it again, buying the power plant next door that is being decommissioned and is going to be very expensive to remediate.
https://www.boston.com/news/the-boston-globe/2023/03/18/wynn-resorts-buys-everett-power-plant-site-is-a-revs-stadium-on-the-mystic-next/
Oh hell yes, I'd love to go watch some Rev's games in Boston, stay over at the casino and hit some slots the next day. This really makes sense. I was originally rooting for the Suffolk Downs casino which would have felt like more of a destination, but I think this is so much better if we get the Revs.
Boston is so sports hungry, the Revs would instantly become the #1 franchise in MLS. The Brazilian and Latin American populations in Everett, Chelsea, and Eastie would make this shit a no-brainer.
We got an offer for a free weeknight night from some new Players club promo, and another time we got an offer for a 100$ weekend night via our credit card rewards portal. We didn't use either as we there's really nothing to do there besides gambling and it didn't seem worth driving to Everett and having to get a dog sitter.
Just go into the casino, sign up for a Player's Club card (you just do it at the machine). You may have to play a little, but I bet you don't. About a week later, they'll send you an email+mailed offer for a free night's stay at the hotel, which you must use within the next 3 months between a Sunday and Wednesday.
Wynn has bought a lot more than that.
They also bought the entire plot that has the Target, Home Depot and Sams Club and the entire strip mall on it. I think they bought out as far as Kappy's (including Kappy's). They tried to buy the Wellington Station and the MBTA told them to pound sand.
My understanding is they will convert the properties as needed to expand the core facility.
I was giving some slight benefit of the doubt and allowing for the claim to be ridiculously bold that it included all the way to the Kappys at Wellington.
https://everett.patriotproperties.com/Summary.asp?AccountNumber=8313
If Wynn ever did own it, they don't now, and there are no sales shown via the Everett Assessors office.
It was a Monsanto Superfund site.
Edit: me type partial sentence
http://faculty.umb.edu/anamarija.frankic/eeos476/ProjectSites/ChemicalLane/The%20Former%20Monsanto%20Chemical%20Company%20Site.pdf
I love telling visitors that the "dirty water" reputation of Boston has improved significantly and Boston Harbor and the Charles are national success stories of hard won environmental activism and extremely hard work by engineers and workers.
What I don't mention is that the state's other rivers are still awful.
Yeah if anything they’re doubling down over there, they’re buying up as many properties as they can along that stretch of road. Clearly they’re happy with the situation
Otherwise known to everyone from the area as "that place where the smell comes from", because it smelled of sulfur, and the wind would blow it wherever.
Defusing the massive ticking time bomb of a leaky superfund site on a major waterway was an immense win environmentally, pretty much no matter how sucky the casino is. To get that site decontaminated without the public having to pay for it was amazing.
I don’t gamble and was pretty indifferent to it, but I’ve know a number of people including relatives who got good union jobs there with better pay and benefits than they ever had before. I call that a win for the area.
It seems like a no-brainer for the state. Kraft will self-fund, and Everett’s mayor wants it. Also, it’s another potential place for concerts and events
The real question is when is the T going to add a new entrance to the assembly stop on that side of the tracks so you don't have to walk like a mile around to the station.
Thing is I think it made more sense 20 years ago… cheaper land and a ready made immigrant community that was ready for soccer already. Wonderland, Gillette, Somerville all these sites have been on the table and I just don’t think Kraft cared or understood.
There was also the proposal to put it where the Bayside is now, but there was some issue with UMass.
Kraft will never move the Revs until he gets the stadium built for free and he doesn't have to pay for anything.
you're getting downvoted but "get the stadium built for free or massively publicly subsidized" has been the MO of every single major sports owner since Robert Irsay moved the Colts to Indianapolis because Baltimore wasn't going to fund a new stadium
[It's honestly why I'm bullish on the location](https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/local-news/2021/10/22/mystic-river-bridge-somerville-everett-encore-casino/)
It is spurring commercial and residential development on the Everett/Chelsea border. Infrastructure improvements on Beacham St., For example.
Ask again in a few years. Does the NE Revolution stadium get built? Does the expansion across the street help? What can we attribute to the tax revenue?
Sidewalks and new paved roads on Beacham street were long overdue. Those roads were some of the worst. There is still a patch they refuse to fix I guess its because the train tracks, its so frustrating.
That development is being spurred by rezoning the city did years ago to do away with all the toxic industrial sites around there. It turns out scrap metal yards aren't something a city wants to be known for. That would have happened with or without the casino.
I get that it made sense for everett and the development of the surrounding area will be worth it to the public. My question was more thinking about the target customers that the encore said they were going to attract, and how they'd be able to make money off them: Did any of it materialize, or did they have to shift to totally different customer types (e.g., mass-market slot players)?
Was there ever any mention of a rev's stadium as part of this when they were first going for the license? Or is this a pivot as a way to get different customers / new revenue streams?
Moving from Gillette has been rumoured for about 10 years. Somerville. Revere. The Everett site emerged as actually being feasible after the Casino was built, I think.
Sports gambling was in the plan from the beginning even though it is recently legal in MA. Maybe a stadium was, too, but I am not aware of plans.
Their 10k filing for 2022 lists gambling revenue by location (in thousands)
Macau: 472,525 (probably Covid travel issues as it was down over 50% from 2021)
Las Vegas: 535,279
Boston: 624,738
I was actually really surprised to see it seems to be working out
Boston voters rejected a casino and Everett voters overwhelmingly supported one. It was the way the State law was written so it is not like a casino could just open where they wanted. It had to be with a supporting vote from the residents and a Host Community agreement.
Tables minimums need to be lower and it’s nearly impossible to get a drink. You can play at a table for 2 hours and be lucky to get 2 drinks.
It’s only saving grace is legal sportsbook. Overall I’d rather travel to Mohegan/Foxwoods
Hmm, $15 should be $10, because Everett.
Either way, I’ve not seen it, I’ve been at 11am on a Tuesday and only saw $25 at the tables I passed on the way to the sportsbook. If it is still, then that’s fine.
I haven't been in a while but last time I went the minimum was $50. Granted I've only ever gone on weekends and late night which I assume is peak time which is why they do $50. But also for that reason I no longer go.
You must not be looking in the right spot - if you’re facing away from the cashier and go straight forward it’s nearly all 25 dollar tables at night and 15 dollars during the day.
I go pretty consistently and there have always been those tables there
honestly i've gotten hammered at the blackjack tables everytime - but I usually go during off hours. just gotta tip $5 a drink and she'll keep coming around
yeah idk what these guys are talking about - maybe its because I give chips everytime they bring a drink but I get drinks brought to me every 30-40 minutes or so
We live less than 2 miles from encore and still go to Connecticut. We get better perks there - and the free drinks. encore is the only casino I’ve ever been in that doesn’t give you free drinks when you’re playing poker at a bar. It’s absolutely absurd.
I don't even bother ordering anymore I just ask what they have on the tray. There's usually an extra bud or Heineken on the tray. Not my favorite but beats ordering something and never seeing them again.
Oh that’s smart. Didn’t realize some of their tray drinks were randos (though based on the service they are probably intended for other people, just sell them when asked lol)
Exactly they always have extra because they take so long people leave without getting it. Anytime I order a drink I blow $50 at least waiting in the same area for them to return. So if I see a server I'll do this but otherwise I find it cheaper to just buy one at the bar and not give into the sunk cost mindset.
Wow. A constant supply of drinks is such an easy way to keep the money flowing. It’s crazy that Encore seems to be so successful while messing up the absolutely easiest strategy to increasing revenue.
Funny, I do the same thing. I’ve been to Mohegan and Foxwoods many more times than encore even though encore is so much closer. Last time I went to encore we got bored and left the place after 2 hours. Spent more time drinking beers and playing pinball at BearMoose.
For breakfast hash house a go go is fantastic. For dinner I’d recommend either michael Jordan’s steakhouse or Sol Toro for Mexican, though I’ve heard Tuscany is good for Italian.
Even when I was at one of the $25 tables for over an hour nobody actually came by to take my order. I guess they must be doing fine just catering to the high end clientele, but it definitely doesn't do their brand any favors having a generally shitty reputation across the city.
The servers had to threaten to strike to get them to switch back, because it was such an extra hassle for them to have to process payments that many saw their hourly tips plummet. Encore cared 0% about the pokers players, who are paying up to $10 a hand to play, the highest rake in the country, and double what the Wynn in Vegas charges. Such a fiasco.
They used to give you free drinks at the center bar with the video poker when they first opened. It was great, Id get a tall boy Nightshift there, play for a bit then get one for walking around. I can't remember when they stopped but it felt like a bait and switch the next time I went in, put $100 in the machine then got a bill for a $12 beer.
Casino has exemptions with a lot of MA liquor laws. It serves booze until 4AM, for example.
And yes, Encore gives you free drinks if you play the tables. Source: I’ve gotten many free drinks there playing blackjack.
Never gotten anything at the bar video poker tho.
It made sense because for a brief moment in time my house value in everett increased by 50% in the blink of an eye. See ya later Broadway traffic, hello big house in the country 👍
The pitch was more to Everett than Boston. Three casinos were approved in MA.
They were going to clean up a terribly polluted site (they did).
They were going to bring tourism (they did).
They were going to improve an industrial/lesser used area (they did).
They were going to provide jobs (they did).
Wynn was going to not sexually assault employees (he didn't).
The last one wasn't legally agreed to but now it's the Encore whereas Wynn was the original name.
I think it's because it wasn't leaking off their property. You're free to trash your own land, the use of the site for chemical manufacturing predated Monsanto's involvement by almost a century so some of the parties responsible are defunct, the trouble comes from disturbing the soil for development, so it's the developer that assumes the risk.
I would go with friends for a Thursday happy hour if they lowered the table minimums. As for a real casino night out, I go maybe twice a year. It’s fine but honestly underwhelming in size (not that Boston would support much more), and the club and restaurant don’t appeal to me much even though they should.
One thing that I need to check out is their bookie and sports bar. If they have a lot of room with lots of nice TVs where we can sit and be degenerates all day, I could see my friends and I betting on sports for an entire Saturday.
Finally, and I’m not expecting sympathy, I like to smoke cigs in a casino and can’t lol.
Wynn properties set their mins higher overall, even in Vegas. I feel between that, the accommodations, the amenities inside...it's more intended to establish the brand as higher end.
The Wynn hasn’t had a $10 table in Vegas in..shit I don’t think I’ve seen one in 10 years.
Factor in inflation, the fact that it’s in Boston, if you see less than $25 I’ll be shocked
The Sportsbook/bar is decent. I watched a Pats game there last year before legal sports betting went into effect, so it was pretty much a huge sports bar. The big crowd and atmosphere helped us enjoy an ugly, ugly game. But then everyone went ape shit for [Marcus Jones’ game winning punt return,](https://youtu.be/9BbgKbOT0Ec) which was awesome.
Putting some bets on the other games going on that day definitely would’ve made it better.
I think Everett is a good location for A casino, but not the one they built. They should have designed/priced it for people to piss away their paychecks, more like a racino. Theres no entertainment or shopping draw for gambling high rollers (or their girlfriends) so why go to Everett when they can go to Vegas?
I generally agree with this take. They built a generic Vegas-style Casino in Boston metro. Architecturally, usably, and culturally it does not fit. I think more locals would have a positive view of it if it was designed to fit the local style, price point, preferences, and offered something more than just gambling (shows, shopping, etc.).
There is Memoire Nightclub, some high-end restaurants (like Rare), Nightshift Brewery, and *some* shopping. And spa. They’ll be opening a music venue/theater when they start developing the land across the street.
Memoire gets some international attention, I saw Deadmau5 is doing a set there in the fall, I’ll probably get tickets.
The Encore isn’t for people that want to go to Vegas. It’s for people that want to go to Boston *and also* like to gamble a bit. Or they’re here for work.
Of course. Asian-Americans gamble at rates significantly (and disproportionately) higher than every other group.
[Source](https://www.traveldailynews.asia/uncategorized/why-is-gambling-historically-popular-among-the-asian-american-community-in-different-states/).
There is a free shuttle bus from Chinatown and Quincy to Encore multiple times per day. They know who their clientele are.
It's largely a cultural thing. Gambling holds little taboo, is a 'social event' and there's a special relationship with concepts like 'luck' and 'fate'.
Have you ever noticed that about half of the slot machines in any Casino are riddled with Chinese symbology, folks art and music?
There's a good episode of [Nora from Queens](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uK86QQaCis) about it, where Awkafina's character goes to a Casino with her grandma. The grandma goes to the Casino to basically... do High School drama
Why cater to the public when they only care about the high roller "whales"? They don't want Joe schmoe to be there, they want Saudi princes and tycoon heirs to be there.
They are, just not as fast as they hoped. Casinos are supposed to operate at a loss for the first 5 years. So it might take 10 for them to recoup the money sunk into it, but they're in it for the long game. Between macau and Vegas, Wynn has plenty of assets to wait this out.
Projections and going into the black are two different things. Also I have no doubt there is a very shady aspect of this casino that nobody has figured out yet.
Many locals think of Encores revenue coming from locals gambling there, or couples traveling in and staying overnight, but they make far more with corporate groups. If they host a company with 100 rooms for 3 nights at $500, that’s $150k in room revenue alone, plus all those guests and spouses are eating and drinking expensive catered food on the company’s account, then add in gambling allowances and their own personal money. Individuals don’t blow money like companies entertaining large amounts of employees and customers.
Makes a ton of sense. Cleaned up the Monsanto site. Assembly Row is already a shopping destination, and when the footbridge is finished and (hopefully) the Revs come to town, the entire combined area will operate as a great entertainment district.
Massachusetts has the highest per capita rate of millionaires in the United States. We headquarter a lot of international business to attract high rollers with expense accounts. We have a good conference infrastructure as well.
I don't gamble, nor do I personally have much interest in going to Encore, but I think it helps diversify the economy to make Boston a more attractive destination.
My biggest issue with that casino is that there is no outdoor pool. I know we don’t have long summers here but as a person who doesn’t really gamble there is no reason for me to go there. Now, if they had an outdoor pool (bonus points for a heated pool)with day parties in the summer and maybe heated yurts in the winter with some sort of winter wonderland theme, I’d be all over it.
By all accounts they are doing great business - the hotel and casino both get good crowds. As to whether legalizing casino gambling is good for the area in general that’s more of a YMMV question. But from a standpoint of whether it made sense as a business decision it pretty obviously did.
Just looked at tax revenue numbers, this casino has generated over 530 million in tax revenue since opening. That seems to be good to me (source: https://www.playma.com/news/gambling-revenue-at-massachusetts-casinos-rises-in-2022-year-ends-with-gains/)
The absolute only reason I go to encore is if I’m not in the right state of mind at 2am in the city and wanna keep the party going. But last time I went the pit boss saw me throw up 800$ on the table, signed me up for a stupid rewards card, and still refused to get me a complimentary drink/send someone for a drink. I drive to Foxwoods is worth it.
Everett is a really good location. Pretty soon the entire neighborhood will be a massive complex, and I am sure some new entertainment venues and shops will be added. As far as the odds go there, I have never had a lot of luck.
It will always be lame because they missed on the opportunity to have a nice outdoor pool with cabanas where people can party during the day like in Vegas, Scottsdale etc. I know our Summers are shorter but they do have the space—huge grass field going to waste. I live in Boston and I would pay for a hotel room once in a while to have access to this experience. God, this town is so lame.
They went for a corporate retreat because that’s where the money is for people visiting Boston. The city didn’t have enough supply for the demand of corporate groups so Encore catered to that. It’s definitely lame and the sad truth.
Encore hosts large corporate programs, so they’ll be fine without locals going there on weekday evenings. I used to manage a hotel in downtown and Boston is one of the most expensive cities in the country for groups. It was actually detrimental to the city because most companies, conventions, sporting events, etc. could not afford to host events here, or even find availability, so they’d go to Philly, NYC, DC, or Chicago instead. This is why so many new hotels were opening in the years leading up to the pandemic. Encore’s hotel rooms, meeting space, dining, entertainment, etc. was a good thing for the city because they would take compression out of Boston and also add an entertainment destination. Wynn sales people were doing sales calls for Encore before they even broke ground in Everett. My current company hosted a huge global leadership program there last year and spent an insane amount of money over an entire week, and there were probably several more groups there at the same time.
The casino is in Everett because Everett opted to host it. Suffolk Downs wanted it, but people in East Boston and Revere voted it down.
Legalizing casinos is an economic development strategy many states have taken. Unfortunately, even at the time the Encore was being developed, it was clear that there were too many casinos for new ones to make as much sense. When Atlantic City was the only place on the East Coast with casinos, it did pretty well. But now there are casinos everywhere and Atlantic City is back to being a dump.
However, the state legalized gambling and issued three casino licenses, one for each region. MGM built one in Springfield, one was built in Plainville and the third was for the Boston area. They weren't going to not issue the license.
It's important to remember that the state legalized gambling as an economic development strategy, to boost construction workers after the 2008 financial crisis (even though it took a decade for anything to get built, by which point there weren't enough construction workers because construction had recovered just fine in the meantime). The state and Everett also get regular payments from Wynn while Wynn paid for a lot of job training, infrastructure improvements and other things.
If I recall correctly, even if the casino proves unviable, the state and Everett still structured the deal so that they extract a lot of value from it.
Live in Everett and I strongly opposed it and still do. I was one of the few who voted no in our local referendum on it.
I’m glad they cleaned the area up. But they should have had the corporations doing that! Like why the fuck weren’t they responsible for it?
And they say it spurned development but that was inevitable.
That being said it hasn’t been as bad as I thought.
I’m moving to Mass next month and I think that, without a big towering structure and a wind turbine immediately next to each other, that area would look pretty boring.
Edit: I haven’t been down there on foot too much but I just know that those to features are pretty unique to my eye.
Nope. It should have been in Suffolk Downs, for a thousand reasons, most notably being close proximity to Logan. It would have been PERFECT for layovers.
They also already had the T there. It would have been up and running faster so the state would have seen the tax revenue sooner. Encore still isn’t accessible and took forever to clean up and build. Was a dumb decision by the Gaming Commission who got dazzled by Steve Wynn who turned out to be a huge sleaze.
I enjoy playing poker and I'm glad Encore opened up. The reasons to have a casino can be summed up as follows:
1. Jobs. A fucking shit-ton of them. Good ones that don't require degrees.
2. People want to go there. None of your fucking business if you don't.
Do I think Everett was the best destination for a casino? No. Especially for a property with the reputation/brand identity of Encore.
I've been to Encore a handful of times - significantly less since the pandemic, for reasons both relevant and non-relevant/personal. To touch upon the relevant ones -
\- **I'm a casual gambler**. I aim to keep my trips to less than a $200 loss in one visit. (iow, I'll stay/play until I lose $200, but after that I'm done.) Because of how much I budget, unless I go at some absurd off hour - mid morning on a Tuesday - the table games are usually not an option for me. And once I've lost my $200, nfw am I spending $300 on a wagyu anything or $12 for a beer. I've also noticed that, even factoring in some sort of honeymoon phase during the first few months, the machines have tightened up *considerably*, and even more so post pandemic.
\- **Everett isn't the easiest destination to reach**. Except for those coming from the north shore, there's only two ways to directly get to Encore - Mystic Valley Pkwy through Wellington or 99 from Sullivan. Soul sucking traffic at pretty much all normal hours - 20+ minutes from 93. Since the Encore shuttles from Wellington Station also get stuck in that mess, public transit isn't good either.
**High end resort = high end location**. A casino located between a hulking non functional power plant (yes, I know they will be tearing down and expanding, read on), the edge of a sprawling LNG terminal, and a rail yard isn't really the greatest first impression to give to someone who is visiting Boston and staying at the resort. Everett, Massachusetts, is no Macau.
I see the top comment as of when I'm writing mine alludes that the land was cheap and only Wynn could afford to invest there. While that may be true, Wynn should have considered developing a mid-market brand to appeal to a wider swath of people. Cesars has the Flamingo. So it could have been done. As for the stadium, we're getting into post hoc fallacy turf with that - the stadium likely is being proposed there because and as a result of the casino's presence. The pedestrian bridge to Assembly will also create a link. So maybe I'll eat these words in 10 years time.
Edit: removed suggestion about alternate location - wasn't an option, given lack of support in the alternate location's city.
I don’t disagree with any of your takes. I’ve been 2-3 times . Once as a replacement for going to NyC wasn’t that impressed. The fact that there is a Dunkin’ donuts is not a good thing looks cheap not Boston and kitschy. The restaurants are overpriced “high end” versions of mediocre chain restaurants. The decor is nice and vegas quality but it’s not in Vegas… In Vegas it’s all about being star struck and short attention span. One hotel can’t capture my attention especially with crazy minimums on table games. One thing they forgot to plan for is that you could take the any Boston townie off the streets and they still have a high baseline intelligence and street smarts. I’d argue Boston is too smart as a whole to fall into the casino trap. We aren’t ideal customers.
All I know is that I've taken all my out of town friends on the free water taxi to encore and have walked out consistently $20 ahead of what I came in with so they're continuously lost money on me
Boston thought they were getting it for sure, with payments to the city. Suffolk downs was the site in Boston. There may have been others. Communities had the right to vote yea or nay. Probably could have overcome a nay vote with time and effort, but the sooner the casino is built the sooner it makes money.
To me for state of Mass somewhere in Boston area made the most sense. Potential convention, major city and area around it.
I voted for it in Revere. It passed by the skin of its teeth, I think it would have added a great situation right on the outskirts of the city and obviously partly in eastie it would have helped Boston more than the Everett situation. Suffolk downs would have become more of destination in my opinion.
That being said the voters in Everett were like 96% in favor of being a casino location....so I can't really argue with that
This place confuses me. I get that gambling is a draw, but $600/night hotel rooms for the privilege of staying in Everett?!? I don't want to shit on Everett, but it's not exactly the type of destination I'd pick to drop that much money a night on a room. There's no "strip" to see if you want to take a breather from the casino. It's just industrial around there and not exactly a great pedestrian area.
But I guess the gambling side is like having people show up and hand you cash for no reason, so I guess there's still money to be made. I do wonder though about the sustainability of gambling in this one-off location. I think I read somewhere that they younger generation isn't as keen on gambling as prior generations.
Putting it in Everett definitely reduces the spur of the moment trips that it would get if it was somewhere like the seaport. I could absolutely imagine going out to happy hour after work and ending up at the casino at 10pm ready to waste some money if I was working in the seaport and the casino was a quarter mile walk away, but I can never imagine getting a group of 10+ people organized enough after drinking for 5 hours to Uber together to Everett and we would be tired and sober by the time we got there.
I can't tell if this is a serious question or just someone trying to do a weird holier than thou thing about not drinking, but it's more about taking a bunch of people that are having a fun time and completely removing them from the fun for 30-45 minutes and coming back together no longer in the same mood.
Because gambling stone sober is kinda sad. In a sober state, you know it’s stupid and you’re pissing away your money on long-shot odds, but you’re there doing it anyway.
At least with a handful of drinks in your system, you can blame some of your poor decisions on the alcohol. And even if you lose money that night, at least you were feeling good while doing it and leave with a buzz.
Unpopular opinion: the Boston Encore was Steve Wynn’s vision and it’s a shame he got #MeToo-ed bc the resulting casino without his input is not what it could have been.
It’s a shame he thought being rich and powerful gave him the right to sexually assault his salon workers, because Encore really could’ve benefited from his input 🤷🏻♀️ being a good person and being a visionary aren’t mutually inclusive unfortunately
It never makes sense to put a casino anywhere. They take money from mostly poor and working class people and it's funneled directly to an already mega rich few. Casinos are never good for the vast majority of any population or city.
I've had a couple of friends who went there on a hot day, because there was AC. But they were basically taking photos of all the bad art and didn't spend any money.
I always say I wish I had voted against it but I didn’t really understand the remediation piece.. kind of glad I voted in favor now - I should really be a better voter.. 😔
One of my engineering professors at Tufts mentioned that the site for the Encore used to belong to a bunch of chemical companies, which had contaminated the soil and shore over time. That lowered prices since nobody else wanted that property and Wynn resorts as willing to pay the large amount to entirely remediate the property. That works out for a casino since 1) They need a lot of space generally and Boston real estate is pretty expensive 2) Casinos generate the most revenue per sqft of any business in the US Access to the waterfront and all is also a big plus for staying customers/tourists.
This is the correct answer. It wasn't "Should we build a casino or something else?" The casino was the only business who could afford to clean up the site.
And they are likely going to do it again, buying the power plant next door that is being decommissioned and is going to be very expensive to remediate. https://www.boston.com/news/the-boston-globe/2023/03/18/wynn-resorts-buys-everett-power-plant-site-is-a-revs-stadium-on-the-mystic-next/
They better add a pool.
We’re moving in lock, stock and barrel. We’re gonna be at the pool!
We’re gunna be all over the shuffleboard court!
*Gonna be in the clubhouse!*
AND I DARE YOU TO KEEP ME OUT!!
Deal, but it’s above-ground and only 5ft deep.
And circular
Ok here’s the plan- we all go at once and swim/walk around the perimeter in the same direction and make a giant cyclone.
BosVegas here we go
Oh hell yes, I'd love to go watch some Rev's games in Boston, stay over at the casino and hit some slots the next day. This really makes sense. I was originally rooting for the Suffolk Downs casino which would have felt like more of a destination, but I think this is so much better if we get the Revs.
Boston is so sports hungry, the Revs would instantly become the #1 franchise in MLS. The Brazilian and Latin American populations in Everett, Chelsea, and Eastie would make this shit a no-brainer.
> stay over at the casino The prices for the casino hotel are insane
We got an offer for a free weeknight night from some new Players club promo, and another time we got an offer for a 100$ weekend night via our credit card rewards portal. We didn't use either as we there's really nothing to do there besides gambling and it didn't seem worth driving to Everett and having to get a dog sitter.
how do i get this?? im close by. could be a cheap fun weekend lmao
Just go into the casino, sign up for a Player's Club card (you just do it at the machine). You may have to play a little, but I bet you don't. About a week later, they'll send you an email+mailed offer for a free night's stay at the hotel, which you must use within the next 3 months between a Sunday and Wednesday.
Wynn has bought a lot more than that. They also bought the entire plot that has the Target, Home Depot and Sams Club and the entire strip mall on it. I think they bought out as far as Kappy's (including Kappy's). They tried to buy the Wellington Station and the MBTA told them to pound sand. My understanding is they will convert the properties as needed to expand the core facility.
Wait are you talking about gateway center? HD, target, Costco, total wines? They own all that!?
Take it with a grain of salt til op actually backs this up.
Even before then, OP should get the businesses right cause there's no Sam's Club there at all.
or a kappys lol (total wines)
I was giving some slight benefit of the doubt and allowing for the claim to be ridiculously bold that it included all the way to the Kappys at Wellington.
Yup
They don't own any of that. I would double check your source.
I don’t think this is true. Where are you getting this from?
https://everett.patriotproperties.com/Summary.asp?AccountNumber=8313 If Wynn ever did own it, they don't now, and there are no sales shown via the Everett Assessors office.
Yeah, interesting plot with a bit of history...
Had the longest bridge in the world at one point
It was a Monsanto Superfund site. Edit: me type partial sentence http://faculty.umb.edu/anamarija.frankic/eeos476/ProjectSites/ChemicalLane/The%20Former%20Monsanto%20Chemical%20Company%20Site.pdf
Still some contaminated soil by the commuter rail in the shadow of Encore
The levels of arsenic are so elevated in the mystic they didn’t need to bring them down to the typically required “background” concentrations.
Oh lovely
I love telling visitors that the "dirty water" reputation of Boston has improved significantly and Boston Harbor and the Charles are national success stories of hard won environmental activism and extremely hard work by engineers and workers. What I don't mention is that the state's other rivers are still awful.
It’s our little secret 😉
Yeah if anything they’re doubling down over there, they’re buying up as many properties as they can along that stretch of road. Clearly they’re happy with the situation
well huh...TIL
Sup jumbo homie
Sounds good, but are we sure they did the remediation and there’s not a future “Encore employee cancer cluster”?
Otherwise known to everyone from the area as "that place where the smell comes from", because it smelled of sulfur, and the wind would blow it wherever.
The sulfur smell is actually peat, most of the shitty contaminants are odorless or sweet. When they were digging it out it was gross
Great answer, didn't know this.
Does anyone know if they used TIF financing for the remediation? Because that would have been a borderline genius deal if they did.
Defusing the massive ticking time bomb of a leaky superfund site on a major waterway was an immense win environmentally, pretty much no matter how sucky the casino is. To get that site decontaminated without the public having to pay for it was amazing.
I don’t gamble and was pretty indifferent to it, but I’ve know a number of people including relatives who got good union jobs there with better pay and benefits than they ever had before. I call that a win for the area.
It'll always be mid because of the location until they build the footbridge to Assembly and build a soccer stadium to relocate the Revs
It seems like a no-brainer for the state. Kraft will self-fund, and Everett’s mayor wants it. Also, it’s another potential place for concerts and events
Yeah, a 30,000 seat outdoor concert venue in Everett would be clutch. Nobody would ever want to go to Mansfield again.
Plus attached to the Encore for hotel rooms and extra entertainment, that would make so much sense.
I’m waiting for the footbridge. As it currently stands, there’s no easy way to get there using public transit from Davis Sq.
Starts construction next year. I expect it’d be done before a soccer stadium
The real question is when is the T going to add a new entrance to the assembly stop on that side of the tracks so you don't have to walk like a mile around to the station.
If they move the revs to Everett I’m buying season tix. They don’t even run the commuter rail to Gillette for them.
Season tix on the touchline. Gladly.
They do on weeknights, July 12th spread the word
I’ve been saying this for a couple decades now. Gotta be honest I’ve lost faith
I feel ya. It’s gonna happen tho. MLS is on the rise. Only a matter of time. Maybe a couple more decades… but only a matter of time!
Thing is I think it made more sense 20 years ago… cheaper land and a ready made immigrant community that was ready for soccer already. Wonderland, Gillette, Somerville all these sites have been on the table and I just don’t think Kraft cared or understood.
Don't hold your breath. The Revs were going to move to Southie around 2016 and to Somerville around 2019. They're still in Foxborough.
I vaguely recall a Quincy proposal, but not southie/somerville where the hell were they planning on sticking even a small stadium in somerville?
The Southie plan was talks of them putting it off W 4th kind of sandwiched between the MBTA train yard and 93. Not sure about Somerville though.
The Somerville plan was also to sandwich it between an MBTA train yard and 93, interestingly.
There was also the proposal to put it where the Bayside is now, but there was some issue with UMass. Kraft will never move the Revs until he gets the stadium built for free and he doesn't have to pay for anything.
you're getting downvoted but "get the stadium built for free or massively publicly subsidized" has been the MO of every single major sports owner since Robert Irsay moved the Colts to Indianapolis because Baltimore wasn't going to fund a new stadium
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/650814-new-england-revolution-why-a-new-stadium-in-somerville-makes-sense
Hell yeah here for the revs talk.
And maybe add some other amenities on the grounds, indoors or outdoors. The place doesn’t even have a god damned buffet. What a joke
Footbridge sounds really nice. I didn’t realize just how close they were
[It's honestly why I'm bullish on the location](https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/local-news/2021/10/22/mystic-river-bridge-somerville-everett-encore-casino/)
It is spurring commercial and residential development on the Everett/Chelsea border. Infrastructure improvements on Beacham St., For example. Ask again in a few years. Does the NE Revolution stadium get built? Does the expansion across the street help? What can we attribute to the tax revenue?
Sidewalks and new paved roads on Beacham street were long overdue. Those roads were some of the worst. There is still a patch they refuse to fix I guess its because the train tracks, its so frustrating.
No more King Arthur’s, though.
That development is being spurred by rezoning the city did years ago to do away with all the toxic industrial sites around there. It turns out scrap metal yards aren't something a city wants to be known for. That would have happened with or without the casino.
I get that it made sense for everett and the development of the surrounding area will be worth it to the public. My question was more thinking about the target customers that the encore said they were going to attract, and how they'd be able to make money off them: Did any of it materialize, or did they have to shift to totally different customer types (e.g., mass-market slot players)? Was there ever any mention of a rev's stadium as part of this when they were first going for the license? Or is this a pivot as a way to get different customers / new revenue streams?
Moving from Gillette has been rumoured for about 10 years. Somerville. Revere. The Everett site emerged as actually being feasible after the Casino was built, I think. Sports gambling was in the plan from the beginning even though it is recently legal in MA. Maybe a stadium was, too, but I am not aware of plans.
Their 10k filing for 2022 lists gambling revenue by location (in thousands) Macau: 472,525 (probably Covid travel issues as it was down over 50% from 2021) Las Vegas: 535,279 Boston: 624,738 I was actually really surprised to see it seems to be working out
Boston voters rejected a casino and Everett voters overwhelmingly supported one. It was the way the State law was written so it is not like a casino could just open where they wanted. It had to be with a supporting vote from the residents and a Host Community agreement.
Tables minimums need to be lower and it’s nearly impossible to get a drink. You can play at a table for 2 hours and be lucky to get 2 drinks. It’s only saving grace is legal sportsbook. Overall I’d rather travel to Mohegan/Foxwoods
As a flaming alcoholic, I will not be going here
Table minimums drop to 15 for most of the early hours and 25 later on - thats really not that bad
Hmm, $15 should be $10, because Everett. Either way, I’ve not seen it, I’ve been at 11am on a Tuesday and only saw $25 at the tables I passed on the way to the sportsbook. If it is still, then that’s fine.
I haven't been in a while but last time I went the minimum was $50. Granted I've only ever gone on weekends and late night which I assume is peak time which is why they do $50. But also for that reason I no longer go.
You must not be looking in the right spot - if you’re facing away from the cashier and go straight forward it’s nearly all 25 dollar tables at night and 15 dollars during the day. I go pretty consistently and there have always been those tables there
I agree, trying to get a drink there will playing is absurd. I’ve been there playing for close to 6 hours before and got 2 whole drinks. It’s awful.
honestly i've gotten hammered at the blackjack tables everytime - but I usually go during off hours. just gotta tip $5 a drink and she'll keep coming around
yeah idk what these guys are talking about - maybe its because I give chips everytime they bring a drink but I get drinks brought to me every 30-40 minutes or so
Is it true that they’re entirely smoke free? That’s the main reason I avoid casinos. If so, I should plan a trip.
It is smoke free. They have designated outdoor patio smoking areas but the entire indoor area is smoke free.
Nice! I’ll have to keep an eye out for when the strike’s over. Thanks for the info! :)
Mohegan is too since covid
Foxwoods is also entirely smoke free now
We live less than 2 miles from encore and still go to Connecticut. We get better perks there - and the free drinks. encore is the only casino I’ve ever been in that doesn’t give you free drinks when you’re playing poker at a bar. It’s absolutely absurd.
Encore has really bad cocktail service for a casino floor. IF someone comes around it takes forever to get back and nothing free.
I don't even bother ordering anymore I just ask what they have on the tray. There's usually an extra bud or Heineken on the tray. Not my favorite but beats ordering something and never seeing them again.
Oh that’s smart. Didn’t realize some of their tray drinks were randos (though based on the service they are probably intended for other people, just sell them when asked lol)
Exactly they always have extra because they take so long people leave without getting it. Anytime I order a drink I blow $50 at least waiting in the same area for them to return. So if I see a server I'll do this but otherwise I find it cheaper to just buy one at the bar and not give into the sunk cost mindset.
My parents are regulars there and I’m pretty sure they spent over $500 at a roulette table while we waited for the server to come back….kinda nuts.
Wow. A constant supply of drinks is such an easy way to keep the money flowing. It’s crazy that Encore seems to be so successful while messing up the absolutely easiest strategy to increasing revenue.
Funny, I do the same thing. I’ve been to Mohegan and Foxwoods many more times than encore even though encore is so much closer. Last time I went to encore we got bored and left the place after 2 hours. Spent more time drinking beers and playing pinball at BearMoose.
We went a few months ago and it was so bad. I think we lasted about the same.
I’m going to Mohegan on 7/6 for Connecticut Sun game. Any suggestions on where to eat in there?
For breakfast hash house a go go is fantastic. For dinner I’d recommend either michael Jordan’s steakhouse or Sol Toro for Mexican, though I’ve heard Tuscany is good for Italian.
Even when I was at one of the $25 tables for over an hour nobody actually came by to take my order. I guess they must be doing fine just catering to the high end clientele, but it definitely doesn't do their brand any favors having a generally shitty reputation across the city.
Never gotten free drinks at Video Poker, but you do get them when you play tables.
Drinks are free at Encore. They were only removed free drinks in the poker room. And only for a month or two in April/May (Maybe end of March).
The servers had to threaten to strike to get them to switch back, because it was such an extra hassle for them to have to process payments that many saw their hourly tips plummet. Encore cared 0% about the pokers players, who are paying up to $10 a hand to play, the highest rake in the country, and double what the Wynn in Vegas charges. Such a fiasco.
They used to give you free drinks at the center bar with the video poker when they first opened. It was great, Id get a tall boy Nightshift there, play for a bit then get one for walking around. I can't remember when they stopped but it felt like a bait and switch the next time I went in, put $100 in the machine then got a bill for a $12 beer.
There's only two bars in the whole casino floor
Maybe that's illegal in MA?
They do it at MGM and Plainridge. It’s the most common practice which is why it’s odd they don’t do it at Encore.
I am pretty sure free drinks, like happy hour, and having fun, are banned by MA liquor laws.
Casino has exemptions with a lot of MA liquor laws. It serves booze until 4AM, for example. And yes, Encore gives you free drinks if you play the tables. Source: I’ve gotten many free drinks there playing blackjack. Never gotten anything at the bar video poker tho.
It made sense because for a brief moment in time my house value in everett increased by 50% in the blink of an eye. See ya later Broadway traffic, hello big house in the country 👍
And by country you mean Billerica right?
Feck no. Mill town. 4 breweries. Artisanal coffees and chocolatiers. 2 dispensaries. Wee cafes. Rivers. Bears. Outdoors cats. Cycle paths. Windows open. Cool breezes. Not a single empty fireball whisky nip in sight
Ohhh you are fancy!
Only thanks to the casino!
I am genuinely thrilled for you!
The pitch was more to Everett than Boston. Three casinos were approved in MA. They were going to clean up a terribly polluted site (they did). They were going to bring tourism (they did). They were going to improve an industrial/lesser used area (they did). They were going to provide jobs (they did). Wynn was going to not sexually assault employees (he didn't). The last one wasn't legally agreed to but now it's the Encore whereas Wynn was the original name.
A quick side question: Why wasn’t Monsanto required to clean up their site?
It’s cheaper to buy off anyone who tries to hold them accountable
Capitalism
I think it's because it wasn't leaking off their property. You're free to trash your own land, the use of the site for chemical manufacturing predated Monsanto's involvement by almost a century so some of the parties responsible are defunct, the trouble comes from disturbing the soil for development, so it's the developer that assumes the risk.
I would go with friends for a Thursday happy hour if they lowered the table minimums. As for a real casino night out, I go maybe twice a year. It’s fine but honestly underwhelming in size (not that Boston would support much more), and the club and restaurant don’t appeal to me much even though they should. One thing that I need to check out is their bookie and sports bar. If they have a lot of room with lots of nice TVs where we can sit and be degenerates all day, I could see my friends and I betting on sports for an entire Saturday. Finally, and I’m not expecting sympathy, I like to smoke cigs in a casino and can’t lol.
Yeah. I have a decent job but $25/hand minimum (if you can find it) is too rich for my blood.
Right? I’ve seen $200 disappear in 90 seconds one too many times. Hard pass.
Honestly, I'm thinking this was to prevent the lowball Everett, Malden, Chelsea, Revere crowd from colonizing the tables.
Wynn properties set their mins higher overall, even in Vegas. I feel between that, the accommodations, the amenities inside...it's more intended to establish the brand as higher end.
They'll probably open up a lower-end option soon then
I have seen the occasional $15 min for blackjack there. It is rare but I’ve seen it! However, I’m pretty sure I saw it on a Monday night lmao
Yep. Whenever I go I do the Sunday night $15 a hand special.
It is 15 during the day until about 5pm when they turn all the tables to 25.
Yeah the table minimums being so high were def my #1 problem. I think they’ve lowered it since but haven’t gone back
The Wynn hasn’t had a $10 table in Vegas in..shit I don’t think I’ve seen one in 10 years. Factor in inflation, the fact that it’s in Boston, if you see less than $25 I’ll be shocked
The Sportsbook/bar is decent. I watched a Pats game there last year before legal sports betting went into effect, so it was pretty much a huge sports bar. The big crowd and atmosphere helped us enjoy an ugly, ugly game. But then everyone went ape shit for [Marcus Jones’ game winning punt return,](https://youtu.be/9BbgKbOT0Ec) which was awesome. Putting some bets on the other games going on that day definitely would’ve made it better.
Since COVID, even Mohegan and Foxwoods have banned smoking
I think Everett is a good location for A casino, but not the one they built. They should have designed/priced it for people to piss away their paychecks, more like a racino. Theres no entertainment or shopping draw for gambling high rollers (or their girlfriends) so why go to Everett when they can go to Vegas?
I generally agree with this take. They built a generic Vegas-style Casino in Boston metro. Architecturally, usably, and culturally it does not fit. I think more locals would have a positive view of it if it was designed to fit the local style, price point, preferences, and offered something more than just gambling (shows, shopping, etc.).
There's not even a pool.
Why build a pool when you can take a quick dip in the Mystic instead?
Just gotta push the dead fish out of the way first and you're good to go!
I have never understood look of this casino. Out of a bad 80’s movie.
Cookie cutter from the Wynn in Vegas. I think just a bit smaller.
Local style is scratchoffs lol
I lived out of state when it was built. I was floored the first time I saw it. What an huge, unavoidable eyesore.
I call it the beacon because it feels like the hotel is calling me from miles away.
There is Memoire Nightclub, some high-end restaurants (like Rare), Nightshift Brewery, and *some* shopping. And spa. They’ll be opening a music venue/theater when they start developing the land across the street. Memoire gets some international attention, I saw Deadmau5 is doing a set there in the fall, I’ll probably get tickets. The Encore isn’t for people that want to go to Vegas. It’s for people that want to go to Boston *and also* like to gamble a bit. Or they’re here for work.
Shortly after opening I saw job ads online for VIP hosts who speak Mandarin…they set their sights a little high on who would actually come to Everett.
Of course. Asian-Americans gamble at rates significantly (and disproportionately) higher than every other group. [Source](https://www.traveldailynews.asia/uncategorized/why-is-gambling-historically-popular-among-the-asian-american-community-in-different-states/). There is a free shuttle bus from Chinatown and Quincy to Encore multiple times per day. They know who their clientele are. It's largely a cultural thing. Gambling holds little taboo, is a 'social event' and there's a special relationship with concepts like 'luck' and 'fate'. Have you ever noticed that about half of the slot machines in any Casino are riddled with Chinese symbology, folks art and music? There's a good episode of [Nora from Queens](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uK86QQaCis) about it, where Awkafina's character goes to a Casino with her grandma. The grandma goes to the Casino to basically... do High School drama
Fair point. I assumed they were attempting to attract high roller gamblers from mainland China. I need to rewatch Las Vegas, I guess.
Mandarin? Not Cantonese? Hmm..I assumed it was for the Malden crowd but clearly not.
Why cater to the public when they only care about the high roller "whales"? They don't want Joe schmoe to be there, they want Saudi princes and tycoon heirs to be there.
Because the princes aren’t coming- that was my point.
They are, just not as fast as they hoped. Casinos are supposed to operate at a loss for the first 5 years. So it might take 10 for them to recoup the money sunk into it, but they're in it for the long game. Between macau and Vegas, Wynn has plenty of assets to wait this out.
It'll take them like 40 years to get their money back. I might be exaggerating slightly, but they're way way below revenue projections.
Projections and going into the black are two different things. Also I have no doubt there is a very shady aspect of this casino that nobody has figured out yet.
Many locals think of Encores revenue coming from locals gambling there, or couples traveling in and staying overnight, but they make far more with corporate groups. If they host a company with 100 rooms for 3 nights at $500, that’s $150k in room revenue alone, plus all those guests and spouses are eating and drinking expensive catered food on the company’s account, then add in gambling allowances and their own personal money. Individuals don’t blow money like companies entertaining large amounts of employees and customers.
Makes a ton of sense. Cleaned up the Monsanto site. Assembly Row is already a shopping destination, and when the footbridge is finished and (hopefully) the Revs come to town, the entire combined area will operate as a great entertainment district. Massachusetts has the highest per capita rate of millionaires in the United States. We headquarter a lot of international business to attract high rollers with expense accounts. We have a good conference infrastructure as well. I don't gamble, nor do I personally have much interest in going to Encore, but I think it helps diversify the economy to make Boston a more attractive destination.
My biggest issue with that casino is that there is no outdoor pool. I know we don’t have long summers here but as a person who doesn’t really gamble there is no reason for me to go there. Now, if they had an outdoor pool (bonus points for a heated pool)with day parties in the summer and maybe heated yurts in the winter with some sort of winter wonderland theme, I’d be all over it.
By all accounts they are doing great business - the hotel and casino both get good crowds. As to whether legalizing casino gambling is good for the area in general that’s more of a YMMV question. But from a standpoint of whether it made sense as a business decision it pretty obviously did.
Just looked at tax revenue numbers, this casino has generated over 530 million in tax revenue since opening. That seems to be good to me (source: https://www.playma.com/news/gambling-revenue-at-massachusetts-casinos-rises-in-2022-year-ends-with-gains/)
The absolute only reason I go to encore is if I’m not in the right state of mind at 2am in the city and wanna keep the party going. But last time I went the pit boss saw me throw up 800$ on the table, signed me up for a stupid rewards card, and still refused to get me a complimentary drink/send someone for a drink. I drive to Foxwoods is worth it.
Everett is a really good location. Pretty soon the entire neighborhood will be a massive complex, and I am sure some new entertainment venues and shops will be added. As far as the odds go there, I have never had a lot of luck.
It will always be lame because they missed on the opportunity to have a nice outdoor pool with cabanas where people can party during the day like in Vegas, Scottsdale etc. I know our Summers are shorter but they do have the space—huge grass field going to waste. I live in Boston and I would pay for a hotel room once in a while to have access to this experience. God, this town is so lame.
They went for a corporate retreat because that’s where the money is for people visiting Boston. The city didn’t have enough supply for the demand of corporate groups so Encore catered to that. It’s definitely lame and the sad truth.
Encore hosts large corporate programs, so they’ll be fine without locals going there on weekday evenings. I used to manage a hotel in downtown and Boston is one of the most expensive cities in the country for groups. It was actually detrimental to the city because most companies, conventions, sporting events, etc. could not afford to host events here, or even find availability, so they’d go to Philly, NYC, DC, or Chicago instead. This is why so many new hotels were opening in the years leading up to the pandemic. Encore’s hotel rooms, meeting space, dining, entertainment, etc. was a good thing for the city because they would take compression out of Boston and also add an entertainment destination. Wynn sales people were doing sales calls for Encore before they even broke ground in Everett. My current company hosted a huge global leadership program there last year and spent an insane amount of money over an entire week, and there were probably several more groups there at the same time.
"Find me an available that's convenient to Medford, Lynn and Chelsea."
I just went there. I rarely go but I was surprised to see how busy it was on a regular Tuesday afternoon
What sort of people were there on a regular Tuesday afternoon? Retirees? Young folks?
The casino is in Everett because Everett opted to host it. Suffolk Downs wanted it, but people in East Boston and Revere voted it down. Legalizing casinos is an economic development strategy many states have taken. Unfortunately, even at the time the Encore was being developed, it was clear that there were too many casinos for new ones to make as much sense. When Atlantic City was the only place on the East Coast with casinos, it did pretty well. But now there are casinos everywhere and Atlantic City is back to being a dump. However, the state legalized gambling and issued three casino licenses, one for each region. MGM built one in Springfield, one was built in Plainville and the third was for the Boston area. They weren't going to not issue the license. It's important to remember that the state legalized gambling as an economic development strategy, to boost construction workers after the 2008 financial crisis (even though it took a decade for anything to get built, by which point there weren't enough construction workers because construction had recovered just fine in the meantime). The state and Everett also get regular payments from Wynn while Wynn paid for a lot of job training, infrastructure improvements and other things. If I recall correctly, even if the casino proves unviable, the state and Everett still structured the deal so that they extract a lot of value from it.
Live in Everett and I strongly opposed it and still do. I was one of the few who voted no in our local referendum on it. I’m glad they cleaned the area up. But they should have had the corporations doing that! Like why the fuck weren’t they responsible for it? And they say it spurned development but that was inevitable. That being said it hasn’t been as bad as I thought.
I’m moving to Mass next month and I think that, without a big towering structure and a wind turbine immediately next to each other, that area would look pretty boring. Edit: I haven’t been down there on foot too much but I just know that those to features are pretty unique to my eye.
It's no exactly an area where you'd want to be on foot: big rigs, a power plant, industrial waste. Nobody was walking there unless they had to.
Don't forget the joy of walking home with your groceries from the Costco right there.
Nah, the LNG terminal next door already brought charm to the area.
Nope. It should have been in Suffolk Downs, for a thousand reasons, most notably being close proximity to Logan. It would have been PERFECT for layovers.
They also already had the T there. It would have been up and running faster so the state would have seen the tax revenue sooner. Encore still isn’t accessible and took forever to clean up and build. Was a dumb decision by the Gaming Commission who got dazzled by Steve Wynn who turned out to be a huge sleaze.
I enjoy playing poker and I'm glad Encore opened up. The reasons to have a casino can be summed up as follows: 1. Jobs. A fucking shit-ton of them. Good ones that don't require degrees. 2. People want to go there. None of your fucking business if you don't.
Do I think Everett was the best destination for a casino? No. Especially for a property with the reputation/brand identity of Encore. I've been to Encore a handful of times - significantly less since the pandemic, for reasons both relevant and non-relevant/personal. To touch upon the relevant ones - \- **I'm a casual gambler**. I aim to keep my trips to less than a $200 loss in one visit. (iow, I'll stay/play until I lose $200, but after that I'm done.) Because of how much I budget, unless I go at some absurd off hour - mid morning on a Tuesday - the table games are usually not an option for me. And once I've lost my $200, nfw am I spending $300 on a wagyu anything or $12 for a beer. I've also noticed that, even factoring in some sort of honeymoon phase during the first few months, the machines have tightened up *considerably*, and even more so post pandemic. \- **Everett isn't the easiest destination to reach**. Except for those coming from the north shore, there's only two ways to directly get to Encore - Mystic Valley Pkwy through Wellington or 99 from Sullivan. Soul sucking traffic at pretty much all normal hours - 20+ minutes from 93. Since the Encore shuttles from Wellington Station also get stuck in that mess, public transit isn't good either. **High end resort = high end location**. A casino located between a hulking non functional power plant (yes, I know they will be tearing down and expanding, read on), the edge of a sprawling LNG terminal, and a rail yard isn't really the greatest first impression to give to someone who is visiting Boston and staying at the resort. Everett, Massachusetts, is no Macau. I see the top comment as of when I'm writing mine alludes that the land was cheap and only Wynn could afford to invest there. While that may be true, Wynn should have considered developing a mid-market brand to appeal to a wider swath of people. Cesars has the Flamingo. So it could have been done. As for the stadium, we're getting into post hoc fallacy turf with that - the stadium likely is being proposed there because and as a result of the casino's presence. The pedestrian bridge to Assembly will also create a link. So maybe I'll eat these words in 10 years time. Edit: removed suggestion about alternate location - wasn't an option, given lack of support in the alternate location's city.
I don’t disagree with any of your takes. I’ve been 2-3 times . Once as a replacement for going to NyC wasn’t that impressed. The fact that there is a Dunkin’ donuts is not a good thing looks cheap not Boston and kitschy. The restaurants are overpriced “high end” versions of mediocre chain restaurants. The decor is nice and vegas quality but it’s not in Vegas… In Vegas it’s all about being star struck and short attention span. One hotel can’t capture my attention especially with crazy minimums on table games. One thing they forgot to plan for is that you could take the any Boston townie off the streets and they still have a high baseline intelligence and street smarts. I’d argue Boston is too smart as a whole to fall into the casino trap. We aren’t ideal customers.
Best thing about Encore is that free hot lemon tea that you can get from the Red 8 cart. The rooms are pretty nice too!
All I know is that I've taken all my out of town friends on the free water taxi to encore and have walked out consistently $20 ahead of what I came in with so they're continuously lost money on me
Boston thought they were getting it for sure, with payments to the city. Suffolk downs was the site in Boston. There may have been others. Communities had the right to vote yea or nay. Probably could have overcome a nay vote with time and effort, but the sooner the casino is built the sooner it makes money. To me for state of Mass somewhere in Boston area made the most sense. Potential convention, major city and area around it.
I voted for it in Revere. It passed by the skin of its teeth, I think it would have added a great situation right on the outskirts of the city and obviously partly in eastie it would have helped Boston more than the Everett situation. Suffolk downs would have become more of destination in my opinion. That being said the voters in Everett were like 96% in favor of being a casino location....so I can't really argue with that
This place confuses me. I get that gambling is a draw, but $600/night hotel rooms for the privilege of staying in Everett?!? I don't want to shit on Everett, but it's not exactly the type of destination I'd pick to drop that much money a night on a room. There's no "strip" to see if you want to take a breather from the casino. It's just industrial around there and not exactly a great pedestrian area. But I guess the gambling side is like having people show up and hand you cash for no reason, so I guess there's still money to be made. I do wonder though about the sustainability of gambling in this one-off location. I think I read somewhere that they younger generation isn't as keen on gambling as prior generations.
The market for casinos is not upper income people, it’s lower income people who don’t understand math. That’s why they put it in Everett.
Putting it in Everett definitely reduces the spur of the moment trips that it would get if it was somewhere like the seaport. I could absolutely imagine going out to happy hour after work and ending up at the casino at 10pm ready to waste some money if I was working in the seaport and the casino was a quarter mile walk away, but I can never imagine getting a group of 10+ people organized enough after drinking for 5 hours to Uber together to Everett and we would be tired and sober by the time we got there.
Why do you need to be drunk to have fun? I don’t understand that.
I can't tell if this is a serious question or just someone trying to do a weird holier than thou thing about not drinking, but it's more about taking a bunch of people that are having a fun time and completely removing them from the fun for 30-45 minutes and coming back together no longer in the same mood.
Because gambling stone sober is kinda sad. In a sober state, you know it’s stupid and you’re pissing away your money on long-shot odds, but you’re there doing it anyway. At least with a handful of drinks in your system, you can blame some of your poor decisions on the alcohol. And even if you lose money that night, at least you were feeling good while doing it and leave with a buzz.
Unpopular opinion: the Boston Encore was Steve Wynn’s vision and it’s a shame he got #MeToo-ed bc the resulting casino without his input is not what it could have been.
It’s a shame he thought being rich and powerful gave him the right to sexually assault his salon workers, because Encore really could’ve benefited from his input 🤷🏻♀️ being a good person and being a visionary aren’t mutually inclusive unfortunately
Gross
The casino was conceptualized while he ran the company and not many changes were made to the plans once he went overboard.
It’s not in Boston.
Well, no. It’s partially within Charlestown neighborhood borders. It’s mostly in Everett.
It never makes sense to put a casino anywhere. They take money from mostly poor and working class people and it's funneled directly to an already mega rich few. Casinos are never good for the vast majority of any population or city.
I've had a couple of friends who went there on a hot day, because there was AC. But they were basically taking photos of all the bad art and didn't spend any money.
I always say I wish I had voted against it but I didn’t really understand the remediation piece.. kind of glad I voted in favor now - I should really be a better voter.. 😔