Massachusetts Casinos Generate $98.7 Million in November, Down 2.1% Year-on-Year

Casinos in Massachusetts generated $98.7 million in November, representing a 2.1% year-on-year decline from the $100.9 million generated in November of the previous year.  

 Of the total, slots generated $72.3 million, representing a 4.8% increase from the $69 million generated in 2024. However, table games saw a 17.3% year-on-year decline in revenue, falling from $31.9 million to $26.4 million.  

 In other news, the impact of online sports betting on Massachusetts residents is coming to light, with an increasing number of people seeking to join Gamblers Anonymous meetings in the state, just two years after sports betting was legalized.  

MGM Springfield Stays Positive in November  

The latest report from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission shows that of the three commercial casinos in the state, only one saw revenue rise year-on-year.  

 The MGM Springfield Casino generated $24.6 million in November and saw the only revenue increase year-on-year, rising 6.3% from the $23.1 million the year prior. Slot revenue for the casino saw a 9.8% year-on-year increase from $18.1 million to $19.9 million. In contrast, table games revenue fell 6.5%, from $5 million to $4.7 million.  

 Casino revenue fell year-on-year for the Plainridge Park Casino, which only offers slots, by 1% from $14.6 million to $14.5 million.  

The biggest loser in November was the Encore Boston Harbor Casino. While it generated the highest revenue in November, $59.6 million, it also saw the most significant year-on-year decline of 5.5% after generating $63.1 million the year before.  

 Table games revenue for the casino saw a double-digit decline of 19.3%, falling from $26.9 million to $21.7 million. However, slot revenue increase year-on-year, rising 4.7% from $36.2 million to $38 million.  

Massachusetts Attempts to Block Kalshi from Operating in State  

While casino revenue for the state faced a decline year-on-year in November, a different kind of wagering has been growing in popularity, and Massachusetts is attempting to put a stop to it.   

 Earlier this month, Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Christopher Barry-Smith raised questions regarding Kalshi’s prediction markets operating in the state. At a hearing in Boston, state lawyers urged him to ban Kalshi, citing that the prediction market offers unlicensed sports wagering to customers under 21, the legal gambling age in Massachusetts.  

 Kalshi has been facing litigation in numerous states due to its offerings of sports prediction markets. However, Massachusetts is the first state to seek to end its operations with an injunction.  

 The prediction markets offered by Kalshi, which enable users to profit from predictions made on a variety of topics, including culture, politics, and sports, are regulated by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and are exempt from following individual state gambling laws, unlike traditional sportsbooks.  

 Additionally, Kalshi has also faced a legal setback in Nevada, where a judge ruled that the operator was subject to state gambling rules.  

 While Judge Barry-Smith plans to rule on the injunction in January, Kalshi has warned that the injunction could cause market disruption and damage the operator.