Encore Boston Harbor to Reopen Sunday

The $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor resort casino in Everett plans to reopen Sunday after being closed for four months, though the gaming experience will be vastly different from the one that existed pre-pandemic.

The Gaming Commission approved safety guidelines for casinos in June, setting out a series of restrictions meant to keep workers and players safe -- no poker, craps or roulette until further notice, blackjack-style gaming tables will be capped at three players and will include plexiglass barriers, and players must wear something to cover their nose and mouth upon entry and while in the gaming area, except to have a drink.

Encore had furloughed about 3,000 of its workers at the end of June, but a spokeswoman said Friday that the casino has brought back 1,700 of those workers and will have a workforce of 2,700 when it reopens. The company said the rest of the furloughed workers will remain on furlough until demand dictates their return.