The Encore Boston Harbor has been open for about a month now and the casino is already under fire. A lawsuit has been filed against the venue claiming that the blackjack tables are not paying out properly along with the slot redemption tickets. President of the casino, Bob DeSalvio, has come forward after the allegations were made public, stating the casino is not cheating their players.
NO Cheating
DeSalvio told reporters that the claims in the lawsuit are false and have no foundation. Speaking before the state Gaming Commission, DeSalvio stated that the casino follows the state gaming regulations for blackjack payouts and do not round down winnings that slot players earn. The lawsuit alleges the casino is skimping in both areas and players are being shortchanged.
According to DeSalvio, every customer will receive every dollar and every penny they are due. Rounding is not something the casino does. After the lawsuit was filed, the officials of the Commission conducted a review of the property. They have stated that the casino is in compliance with state regulations, but they have requested that the casino clarify what options players have for slot winning redemption.
Lawsuit Claims
According to the lawsuit filed, the Encore Casino is skewing payments in blackjack due to 6 to 5 odds on a blackjack instead of 3 to 2 odds payouts. The lawsuit also claims that players winnings from slot games are rounded and that players are not given change from their prize and the change is instead kept by the casino.
The plaintiff is A. Richard Schuster from New York, who claims that while visiting the casino on July 11th, he played standard blackjack and was paid at 6 to 5 odds. The player says he should have been paid at 3 to 2 odds, which would have produced a higher payout. Schuster is also claiming that the casino rounded down his slots winning and did not pay him the change owed.
The attorney for Schuster, Joshua Garick, has stated he is disappointed that the commission did not agree with his regulation interpretation. According to Mr. Garick, the situation is why the claims would be heading to court because their reading of the regulations are very different from what the casino has stated.
According to DeSalvio, the casino has placed signs on the machines where players are redeeming slot winnings. Players are directed to collect any change that remains by visiting the cashier. Coin machines are not provided at the casino because officials of the company do not want players to have to wait for their funds if the machines run out of coins.
Players also have the ability to take the leftover balance and play other games with it. According to DeSalvio, customers are used to this type of payout and it is not a new concept in the gaming industry. According to the President, players usually collect the tickets with change and deal with it at a later date.
The commission also recommended that the casino consider placing signs in the venue that state players can use the extra funds to play. DeSalvio said the venue will be looking in to adding such signage and possibly adding coin machines to the property.
