Encore Boston Harbor Review for May 2026

There are casino resorts, and then there is Encore Boston Harbor. When it opened on June 23, 2019, after three years of construction and a $2.6 billion investment, it became the largest private single-phase development in the history of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Wynn Resorts built it on 33 acres of land along the Mystic River in Everett that had been used for industrial and chemical manufacturing for most of the 20th century. Land so contaminated it required a major environmental remediation before a single foundation could be poured. What emerged from that cleanup is one of the finest casino resorts on the East Coast by any measure.

The opening was not without controversy. Wynn Resorts paid a $35 million fine to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in 2019 for its failure to adequately disclose years of sexual misconduct allegations against its founder Steve Wynn, who had resigned as CEO the previous year. The commission chose to allow the property to open regardless and it has since earned three consecutive Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star ratings, which is a clearest of its quality.

Encore Boston Harbor sits at One Broadway in Everett, just five miles north of downtown Boston. By car, it is accessible via I-93 and Route 99, with a free self-parking garage on site. This is an unusually generous policy for a resort of this caliber, and one that immediately signals the property's confidence in its drawing power. By public transport, complimentary shuttle services run from the Sullivan Square and Assembly Orange Line stations. The most spectacular way to arrive, however, is by water. A free ferry service runs between Long Wharf North in downtown Boston and the resort's private dock, making the journey itself part of the experience. The resort operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The 210,000-square-foot gaming floor is one of the largest in New England and among the most visually spectacular casino environments on the East Coast. It is spread across two levels connected by a curved escalator beneath a grand staircase, with the ceilings in the main room hung with hand-assembled red Murano glass chandeliers transplanted directly from Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. The overall design is the work of Roger Thomas, Wynn Resorts' longtime design chief, and it shows. Lush interior botanicals, floral mosaic inlays on the perimeter walkways, and the kind of layered luxury detail that most casino floors simply do not attempt.

The atmosphere is entirely smoke-free, as Massachusetts law requires, and the scale of the floor means it never feels crowded even on busy weekend evenings. For high-stakes players, six dedicated high-limit salons provide elevated privacy and service, and crucially there is no maximum bet - a significant distinction from Colorado and some other markets that makes Encore the preferred destination for serious high-roller play in the Northeast.

Table Games

Encore Boston Harbor has 143 live table games across the main floor, covering:

• Blackjack
• Craps
• Roulette
• Baccarat
• Mini Baccarat
• Three Card Poker
• High Card Flush
• Mississippi Stud

Six dedicated high-limit salons sit alongside the main floor, each offering a more private and elevated gaming environment for premium players. The no-maximum-bet policy applies in all areas, making Encore one of the few properties in the Northeast where truly high-stakes table play is unrestricted.

Poker

The 88-table poker room on the second level is the largest in New England and one of the more impressive poker facilities on the East Coast. The room is flanked by secluded terraces overlooking the gaming floor below, offering a unique spatial experience for a poker room. Cash games run around the clock across Texas Hold'Em and other variants, and The Loft high-limit area within the poker room houses the largest Dragon Link progressive on the entire East Coast alongside other premium offerings.

Slots

With over 3,100 slot machines, the floor has one of the largest selections in the region. I found the full range from classic reels through to the latest video slots and progressives, including 88 Fortunes, Buffalo Diamond, and Wheel of Fortune among the marquee titles. The Loft high-limit area on the second level provides a premium environment for higher denomination play. The no-maximum-bet policy and the sheer scale of the selection make this one of the most compelling slots floors in New England.

Sportsbook

The WynnBET Sportsbook opened on January 31, 2023, making Encore one of the first properties in Massachusetts to offer retail sports betting. The facility features a full video wall setup, comfortable lounge seating, and betting windows alongside self-service kiosks. Wagering covers all major professional and college sports with live betting, futures, parlays, and same-game parlays available. The WynnBET app extends mobile wagering throughout Massachusetts.

Rewards Club

Wynn Rewards operates across all Wynn and Encore properties globally, including Encore Boston Harbor and Wynn Las Vegas. The three-tier program earns points through gaming, dining, hotel stays, and spa spending, redeemable for free slot play, restaurant credits, hotel discounts, and on-property benefits. Elite-tier members receive complimentary hotel stays at both Boston Harbor and Wynn Las Vegas, airport transfers, and dedicated host services. Every $5 wagered on slots earns one point, with $5 in free play available per 500 points accumulated.

The 671-room hotel tower is a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star property and home to New England's largest standard hotel rooms. Every room features the Wynn Dream Bed with 507-thread-count linens, a 4K ultra-high-definition television, floor-to-ceiling windows, and an iPad for one-touch room controls. Voice-activation systems manage curtains, lighting, temperature, and privacy settings without leaving the bed. Views from the harbor-facing rooms take in the Mystic River, the Boston skyline, and on clear days, a sweep of the entire harbor.

The 104 suites step things up with additional living space, soaking tubs, and panoramic harbor views. The spa is Forbes Five-Star rated, offering a full menu of treatments across multiple treatment rooms alongside a full-service salon, fitness center, and relaxation lounges. The 50,000-square-foot ballroom and event space makes Encore one of the most sought-after private event venues in New England.

Where to Eat

Fifteen restaurants and bars give Encore one of the most impressive dining lineups of any casino resort outside of Las Vegas.

Rare Steakhouse is the culinary centerpiece and holds a Forbes Four-Star rating, one of the highest distinctions available for a restaurant. The Japanese A5 Wagyu draws particular attention from serious food travelers. Sinatra brings one of Wynn Las Vegas's most celebrated dining concepts to the East Coast, with Italian-American cuisine in an intimate room hung with Frank Sinatra memorabilia. Seamark Seafood and Cocktails opened in 2024 and focuses on New England's exceptional local seafood in an upscale harborfront setting. Red 8 is the Asian dining destination, and Fratelli is the casual Italian option from North End veterans. The Wynn Buffet rounds things out at a more accessible price point with international spread and multiple live cooking stations.

Pool and Spa

The Forbes Five-Star spa is one of only a handful in the United States to achieve that rating and is consistently regarded as the finest spa in New England. Treatment rooms, a full-service salon, nail and beauty services, steam rooms, saunas, and a relaxation lounge combine to create a day spa experience that stands entirely on its own merits regardless of the casino. The fitness center is fully equipped and open around the clock.

Entertainment

The six-acre Harborwalk is the defining outdoor feature of the property and one of the most significant public amenities Encore has delivered to its community. The resort opened the Everett waterfront to public access for the first time in more than a century, creating pedestrian and bicycle paths, a picnic park, a performance lawn, viewing decks, boat docks, public art, and waterfront dining along the Mystic River. It operates year-round and is free to access regardless of whether you are a casino guest.

The public art collection throughout the resort is museum-grade. The 6-foot-5-inch mirror-polished stainless-steel Jeff Koons Popeye sculpture -  over 2,000 pounds of candy-colored pop art - stands at the base of the curved escalators in the Garden Lobby. Three 20-foot-high stainless-steel women's portraits by Jaume Plensa line the Harborwalk. It is, as the resort describes itself, Boston's only 24-hour world-class art destination.

Encore Boston Harbor is the finest casino resort in New England and one of the genuinely great destination resort experiences on the East Coast. The $2.6 billion investment is visible in every detail including the Murano glass chandeliers, the Forbes Five-Star spa and hotel, the 88-table poker room, the Harborwalk, the Jeff Koons sculpture and the Rare Steakhouse. This is not a regional casino that happens to have a nice hotel. It is a full-scale luxury resort that happens to have a very large casino floor.

The ferry from downtown Boston, the free parking, and the no-maximum-bet policy make it as accessible as it is premium. For visitors to the Boston area, it is one of the most compelling reasons to stay on the north side of the harbor rather than in the city center. The waterfront location, the dining caliber, and the sheer scale of the resort experience make it worth going well out of your way to visit.

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