Encore Boston Harbor Casino Allowed To Serve Alcohol Until 4 AM In Everett
BOSTON (CBS/AP) – The Massachusetts Gaming Commission will allow Encore Boston Harbor to extend last call to 4 a.m. when it opens in Everett next month. However, that applies only to people on the casino floor who are actively gambling.
The commission also voted to approve an alcohol permit allowing service from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. for the complex.
The announcements came at the commission's public meeting in Boston Wednesday, where a scrapped plan to possibly sell the casino to MGM Resorts International was also discussed.
"To be clear, at no time was there a proposed transaction pending before the commission. However, like many, we were of course closely monitoring developments and our focus appropriately remained and continues to remain on the regulatory preparations needed to open encore Boston Harbor," said Massachusetts Gaming Chair Cathy Judd-Stein.
MGM said Tuesday it will no longer pursue buying Encore Boston Harbor from Wynn Resorts, saying its stakeholders had concerns. MGM owns a casino in Springfield and it wouldn't have been allowed to operate two in Massachusetts.
Wynn Resorts agreed to end discussions and said it remains "committed to opening and operating Encore Boston Harbor as only Wynn Resorts is able to do."
"We're really looking forward to welcoming the public to the facility. I think they're going to be amazed," said Robert DeSalvio, president of Encore Boston Harbor.
The commission also formally approved Sunday, June 23 as the official opening date for the $2.6 billion casino, which is the first in the Boston area. It's expected to create more than 5,000 jobs in Everett.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)