On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 4-0 to remove the remaining restrictions. According to the report Berkshire Eagle this move will allow two state casinos and one arcade to return to normal gambling before pandemic conditions.
"We hope this will be a permanent reopening to all of you and wish you all the best and wish all patrons and staff a lot of health and safety," Massachusetts Gaming Committee Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said after the vote.
In the event of a vote, all Plexiglas dividers, table player limitations, and distance requirements will be removed. Unfortunately for poker players neither MGM Neither Springfield nor Encore Boston Harbor have announced that the poker rooms will be reopen.
Once regulators allowed Massachusetts casinos to restart in the aftermath COVID - 19th pandemic, banned real estate from spreading dice, roulette and poker, citing safety concerns around social distancing and touching surfaces constantly used by all players and staff involved.
In March, regulators relaxed some of their mandates and allowed casinos to redistribute these games, but limited the number of people per table, including the dealer, by four. Encore Boston Harbor i MGM Springfield said it was distributing poker games that were shorthanded.
Even with the restrictions now in the rearview mirror, poker players can wait until 2022 before the poker rooms are open again.
"We continue to monitor the poker needs and whether we will restore them" MGM Daniel Miller, Springfield's chief compliance officer, said Berkshire Eagle. "We, too, decided to make a decision by or around December 31st."
Massachusetts is not the only state to remove all restrictions. The Nevada Gaming Control Board announced it is making the same move and is removing any remaining seats on June 1.