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Gamblers lost record $103M at Massachusetts casinos in December

 Slot machines at the MGM Casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, with one shut down to promote social distancing on July 9, 2020.
Alden Bourne
/
NEPM
Slot machines at the MGM Casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, with one shut down to promote social distancing on July 9, 2020.

December was a record month for the gambling industry in Massachusetts, according to the latest revenue report from regulators.

MGM Springfield is still well short of the jackpot it projected when regulators approved its license, but the casino appears to have found its footing, with revenues stabilizing at the end of last year.

For the first time, MGM pulled in more than $22 million for three straight months.

On the other side of the state, December was a huge month for Encore Boston Harbor. Fueled by table-game receipts, the Everett resort reported its highest monthly revenue since it opened in June of 2019, more than $68 million.

Combined with the slot machine revenue from Plainridge Park, gamblers lost $103 million to Massachusetts casinos in December, the most since the state's industry came online in 2015.

This record haul for the casinos also means a record paycheck for the state. Gambling tax revenues from December approached $29 million, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Meanwhile, regulators are preparing to open up another stream of tax revenue. Sports gambling is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks, just in time for the Super Bowl.

Sam Hudzik has overseen local news coverage on New England Public Media since 2013. He manages a team of about a dozen full- and part-time reporters and hosts.