Poker sidelined at Massachusetts casinos due to staff shortage

Both the Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield have yet to reintroduce poker after reopening in May due to a lack of staff to run the tables.

US.- Despite guests demanding poker back at Massachusetts casinos, the Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield say they can’t find enough dealers.

Jacqui Krum, Encore Boston Harbor’s senior vice president and general counsel, told the Gaming Commission.“To be clear, we did not say never to poker. We have said just not at this time. We’re constantly readjusting our offerings based on guest demand.

“Throughout this difficult time, we have really tried to be agile and responsive. However, we do have limited space, and the former poker area is currently occupied by some of our highest-performing slot machines.”

According to Krum, reopening poker would force the casino to close other games.

She said: “Because of this labor crunch, reopening poker right now would necessitate the closure of other table games. We simply don’t have the staff available to do both. We fully understand the impact of these changes to our valued guests, including our poker players, and if we could add another floor to the casino we would.”