Both rooms had remained shuttered for an extended period while the remainder of the two casino properties returned to relatively normal operations, following Massachusetts’ state officials rescinding early restrictions on occupancy and seating. The other prominent Massachusetts poker room, at MGM Springfield, reopened in early November. Monday’s reopening at Encore Boston Harbor means both major casino-based poker rooms in Massachusetts are again accepting players, if only on a limited basis. The room reopened slightly ahead of schedule after indicating three months ago that it would open at an unspecified date sometime in February 2022. Encore Boston Harbor has quietly reopened its poker room, marking the first time one of the Northeast U.S.’s largest rooms has spread poker since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
