{"id":109599,"date":"2019-07-19T06:33:32","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T13:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=109599"},"modified":"2019-07-19T06:33:32","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T13:33:32","slug":"mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Gaming Commission Blackjack Error Led to Lawsuit Against Encore Boston Harbor"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has said a preliminary investigation into the Encore Boston Harbor\u2019s<\/a> blackjack games suggest the casino is fully compliant with regulations and there is no evidence it has been cheating its customers.<\/p>\n

\"Encore
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said Thursday that standard blackjack at 6\/5 odds is legal in in the state, so why do its own rules appear to contradict that? (KM Cannon\/LVRJ)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The regulator\u2019s statement follows a class-action lawsuit<\/a>, filed Monday, that accuses the new $2.6 billion Wynn Resorts property of offering blackjack at 6\/5 odds, which it claims is a violation of state gaming law.<\/p>\n

But could this be the MGC\u2019s fault?<\/p>\n

Encore Boston Harbor currently offers both 6\/5 blackjack and the more customer-friendly 3\/2 version, with the odds clearly displayed on the tables.<\/p>\n

Assuming an average bet of $50 per hand and 80 hands per hour, a customer could be expected to lose $35.60 per hour more playing 6\/5 than 3\/2, the lawsuit notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe math is even more disturbing when you multiply this average expected loss by five players per table, by 20 tables offering the crooked Blackjack game at any given time, and by 24 hours the casino is open each day,\u201d it asserts. \u201cThis means Encore is stealing $85,440.00 from its customers each day, or well in excess of $30 million each year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Playing by the Rules?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

That would be a big deal if 6\/5 blackjack were illegal in Massachusetts — as it is in Pennsylvania, for example — but the MGC says it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, gaming a division chief assistant director Bruce Band said the confusion may have arisen from the use of the terms 6\/5 in two different contexts in the state\u2019s blackjack rules.<\/p>\n

\n

Band said there is \u201cstandard blackjack,\u201d which can be either 3\/2 or 6\/5 and, there is a blackjack variant that the MGC regulations refer to as \u201cthe 6 to 5 variation\u201d which has slightly different rules and has never been offered at the Encore Boston Harbor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But this is where it gets strange. The MGC blackjack rules state:<\/p>\n

\u201cAll winning wagers \u2026 shall be paid at odds of 1 to 1 with the exception of standard blackjack which shall be paid at odds of 3 to 2, or at odds of 6 to 5 for the 6 to 5 blackjack variation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was That a Typo?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Has the MGC made an error? Did it mean to say \u201c\u2026with the exception of standard blackjack which shall be paid at odds of 3 to 2 or at odds of 6 to 5, and<\/em> 6 to 5 for the 6 to 5 blackjack variation?\u201d<\/p>\n

All mentions of \u201c6\/5\u201d in the rules — at least the ones on the MGC website viewed by casino.org — explicitly refer to the \u201c6 to 5 variation,\u201d except once, where it says:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the licensee chooses the option to pay a blackjack at odd [sic] of 6 to 5 and doesn\u2019t use the 6 to 5 variation then Section 7(c) is void.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

So standard blackjack at 6\/5 odds is only mentioned in the rules once, albeit indirectly, while they explicitly state that standard blackjack should be paid at 3\/2. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s a pretty costly mistake \u2013 but only for Massachusetts blackjack players.<\/p>\n

In general, 6\/5 blackjack increases the house edge by roughly 400 percent. A player employing perfect strategy at 6\/5 will have an expected return of around 98 percent, while with 3\/2 it\u2019s in the 99.5 percent range.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the lawsuit also alleges that Encore failed to refund slot credits in full at ticket redemption machines, rounding down the dollar amount. Both the Encore and the MGC have denied this claim.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has said a preliminary investigation into the Encore Boston Harbor\u2019s blackjack games suggest the casino is fully compliant with regulations and there is no evidence it has been cheating its customers. The regulator\u2019s statement follows a class-action lawsuit, filed Monday, that accuses the new $2.6 billion Wynn Resorts property of offering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":109600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,13592],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMGC Blackjack Error Led to Lawsuit Against Encore Boston Harbor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said the Encore Boston Harbor\u2019s blackjack games are legit, but its own rules appear to contradict this.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MGC Blackjack Error Led to Lawsuit Against Encore Boston Harbor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said the Encore Boston Harbor\u2019s blackjack games are legit, but its own rules appear to contradict this.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-07-19T13:33:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ENCORE.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"748\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgphilc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor\/\",\"name\":\"MGC Blackjack Error Led to Lawsuit Against Encore Boston Harbor\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ENCORE.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-19T13:33:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-19T13:33:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\"},\"description\":\"The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said the Encore Boston Harbor\u2019s blackjack games are legit, but its own rules appear to contradict this.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgc-blackjack-error-lead-to-lawsuit-against-encore-boston-harbor\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ENCORE.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ENCORE.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":748,\"caption\":\"The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said Thursday that standard blackjack at 6\/5 odds is legal in in the state, so why does its own rules appear to contradict that? 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He currently focuses his coverage on gaming law, white-collar crime, global money laundering, tribal gaming, politics, and regulation. Philip was the original features editor for poker\u2019s Bluff Magazine and editor for Bluff Europe, which he helped launch. His writing has also been featured in ESPN, Forbes, Time Out, The Sun, and The Daily Star, as well as iGaming Business, eGaming Review, and numerous other industry news and tech websites. His news stories for Casino.org\/news have been linked by The Washington Post, The Daily Mail, People Magazine, and Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, among many others. Philip once won $20,000 with 7-2 off-suit. He has been reprimanded for unwittingly playing Elton John\u2019s piano on two separate occasions on both sides of the Atlantic. He became a writer because he is a lousy pianist. Philip lives outside London with his wife and children, where he spends his time agonizing about Arsenal FC. 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