Massachusetts has exactly three casino floors, and for a Boston player they sort themselves by distance. Encore Boston Harbor is three miles from downtown in Everett. Plainridge Park Casino is about 45 minutes south near the Rhode Island line. MGM Springfield is about 90 minutes west. All three run 24 hours a day and all three require you to be 21 to step onto the floor.
The Massachusetts rule
The Expanded Gaming Act of 2011 authorised three casino licences: two resort casinos and one slots parlor. Real-money online casinos are not legal in the state. A bill that would have legalised them died in committee in March 2026. Sports betting is legal, with retail sportsbooks on all three floors. The minimum age for any casino floor is 21, stricter than the 18 that applies to the state lottery.
Three floors, closest first
| Encore Boston Harbor | Plainridge Park Casino | MGM Springfield | |
| Where | Everett, 3 miles from downtown | Plainville, off I-495, about 45 minutes | Downtown Springfield, about 90 minutes |
| Licence | Resort casino | Slots parlor | Resort casino |
| Slots | 2,700+ | About 1,250 machines incl. 60 electronic tables | About 2,550, most in the state |
| Live tables | 170+ | None | About 120 |
| Poker | 24 tables, 24 hours | None | 13 to 23 tables in action |
| Racing | None | Live harness, April to November | None |
| Parking | Free self-parking | Free | Downtown |
| Google rating | 4.3, 20,000+ reviews | 3.7, 5,600+ reviews | 4.0, 13,000+ reviews |
Encore Boston Harbor: the one in the city
Encore is Wynn Resorts' East Coast property, a bronze glass tower on the Mystic River in Everett that opened on June 23, 2019 as a $2.6 billion build, and it is the only resort casino in the Boston area. The floor carries more than 2,700 slot machines from quarter denominations up to $125 a spin and more than 170 live table games, the deepest table spread in New England, with craps, roulette, baccarat and a full blackjack pit. The Loft poker room runs 24 tables around the clock and anchors the Boston poker scene. A retail sportsbook rounds out the floor. Self-parking in the garage is free, which is rare for a property this close to downtown, and in season the Encore water shuttle from the waterfront is the most pleasant way to arrive at any casino in the region. It rates 4.3 from more than 20,000 Google reviewers, the best-reviewed casino in the state. Our Encore Boston Harbor guide goes deeper.
Plainridge Park: slots and harness racing
Plainridge Park in Plainville holds the state's single slots-only licence, so there are no live dealer tables and no poker room. What it has is about 1,250 machines, roughly 900 slots plus video poker and about 60 electronic table games where blackjack, roulette and craps are played against a screen, a retail sportsbook that has operated since January 2023, and New England's home of live harness racing, with a season from April through November and simulcast year-round. The grandstand view of the track is free. It rates 3.7 from more than 5,600 reviewers. Its advantage is convenience: right off I-495, free parking, and a much quicker visit than either resort.
MGM Springfield: the drive west
MGM Springfield opened in 2018 and has the largest slot floor in Massachusetts, around 2,550 machines, plus about 120 live tables, a busy poker room and a retail sportsbook. What makes it different is the setting: the casino, hotel, dining and shops occupy several blocks of restored and new buildings in downtown Springfield rather than one tower, so you can walk out the door to the city's own restaurants. The MassMutual Center arena is a block away and casino traffic spikes on event nights. It rates 4.0 from more than 13,000 reviewers. Read our MGM Springfield review.
Which one
For a Boston player, Encore is the best choice for tables, poker and a night out, and in our view its free garage makes it better than any other option for a spontaneous visit. Plainridge is for slots players who want to be in and out, and for anyone who wants to watch live racing. MGM Springfield is worth the drive when you want a different city around the casino, or when western Massachusetts is already the plan. All three are on our in-person casinos page.
Playing from home instead
Massachusetts has no state-regulated online casinos. Sweepstakes casinos operate on a no-purchase-necessary promotional model and are not expressly licensed or prohibited in the state. Our best sweepstakes casinos in Massachusetts guide ranks them from reviewer tests, and our guide to Massachusetts sweepstakes rules explains where they stand.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest casino to Boston?
Encore Boston Harbor in Everett, about three miles from downtown.
How old do you have to be to gamble in Massachusetts?
21 for any casino floor. The state lottery is 18.
Does Encore Boston Harbor have free parking?
Yes. Self-parking in the garage is free.
Which Massachusetts casino has poker?
Encore, with a 24-table room open 24 hours, and MGM Springfield. Plainridge Park has no poker room.
Is there live horse racing near Boston?
Yes, at Plainridge Park in Plainville, with a harness season from April through November.
