The Encore Boston Harbor Casino Is Getting Sued Less Than a Month after Opening
Everett’s new Encore casino may have made millions in its opening week,
but a lawsuit filed Monday alleges that some of those funds were
acquired through some…less-than-legal means.
The class-action lawsuit filed in Middlesex Superior Court claims that
there are practices in place at both the casino’s table games and slot
machines that withhold money from winners and violate state gaming
regulations. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of A. Richard Schuster of
New York, who visited the casino Thursday. Schuster claims that he
played blackjack at tables on the casino floor that should have paid him
out at 3-2 odds, but he was paid at 6-5 odds instead.
no deposit casinosTraditional blackjack is paid out at 3-2 when a player hits blackjack.
State laws do allow for 6-5 payouts (the MGM Springfield, for example,
has blackjack tables that pay out 6-5), but the practice is only
permissible if certain other terms are met to level the playing field
between the player and the house.
The lawsuit filed on Schuster’s behalf claims that at the Encore, the
6-5 payout rule is actually coupled with more rules that tip the scales
in favor of the casino even further, giving the casino an advantage
beyond what is legally permissible.
“With the odds so drastically in its favor, it is unfathomable that a
casino would intentionally resort to cheating so as to increase its
statistical edge over the player even more,” the lawsuit reads. “The
Encore Boston Harbor casino (‘Encore’) has done just that.”
Massachusetts Gaming Commission law does lay out a different playing
style for 6-5 payout blackjack games—instead of playing with 6-8 decks,
the game should be played with 1-2 decks, and the player must be dealt
two facedown cards that they can look at. At the Encore, the suit
alleges, eight decks are used and players are not allowed to touch the
cards, which are dealt face up, all of which the lawsuit says gives the
casino a statistical advantage. The lawsuit estimates that players who
are disadvantaged in this way could lose $35.60 per hour on $50 wagers.
