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Wynn Resorts, operating through its Encore Boston Harbor property, has urged the Massachusetts Legislature to reject iGaming legalization. Eileen McAnney, executive director of government relations for Encore Boston Harbor, testified that legal online casinos would increase problem gambling and divert revenue from resort properties, threatening approximately 3,000 jobs and the roughly $15 million in monthly gaming taxes the property generates for the state.
“The rationale that internet casino gambling will increase state revenues does not factor in the significant cannibalization of brick-and-mortar gaming taxes, lost hotel, restaurant, and entertainment tax revenues, lost tax revenues stemming from significant job losses, lost tax revenue from reductions in casino purchases from small businesses and suppliers, and the social costs related to increased problem gambling, bankruptcies, welfare, health care costs, homelessness, domestic violence and family seperation, criminal justice impacts, and more,” McAnney declared.
Massachusetts Casino Market Performance
Encore Boston Harbor leads the state’s casino market, averaging approximately $60 million per month in gross gaming revenue over the past year. MGM Springfield has averaged roughly $20 million monthly, while Plainridge Park’s slots operation has generated about $15 million per month.
Wynn no longer operates online casinos or mobile sportsbooks despite previous WynnBet operations in multiple states. This position aligns the company with Las Vegas Sands and contrasts with MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment. Currently, only seven states permit iGaming: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
Advocates Highlight Illegal Offshore Market
Supporters of legalization told lawmakers that prohibition has not prevented online gambling in Massachusetts. John Pappas of the iDevelopment & Economic Association testified that offshore platforms are already targeting state residents.
“Let’s be clear, iGaming is happening today in the commonwealth. A recent report with one of our member companies, GeoComply, found that residents are actively gambling with illegal online platforms. According to the data, residents conduct more than 250K monthly searches for online casino and poker content, and that’s resulted in 1.2 million visits to illegal online casino sites,” Pappas said. “These casinos are aggressively advertising to consumers, who don’t even recognize that they’re engaging with an illegal gambling platform.”
DraftKings Projects $170-$275 Million in Annual Tax Revenue
DraftKings, headquartered in Boston, argued that regulation would direct consumers to monitored products while creating new tax revenue. Rebecca London, senior government affairs manager for DraftKings, informed lawmakers the company employs more than 1,300 people in Massachusetts and projected that Representative David Muradian’s bill could generate $170 million to $200 million annually in taxes.
London said Senator Paul Feeney’s version could reach $275 million due to a different tax model and its treatment of online-only operators. She also emphasized consumer protections, including support for problem gambling resources.
Massachusetts has expanded gambling incrementally, authorizing resort casinos in 2011, sports betting in 2022, and allowing the Lottery to operate online in 2024. In September, casinos generated $27 million in taxes, while sports betting contributed approximately $10 million, with DraftKings accounting for roughly half of the sports betting tax revenue.
Source: Yogonet
