Encore cleared of cheating charge; Linq goes green

Score one for Encore Boston Harbor. Its slot-payout and blackjack rules were upheld by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. That’s a win for 6:5 blackjack and a loss for players. “There exists a ‘6 to 5 blackjack variation,’ which is a particular type of blackjack game that is separate and distinct from standard blackjack,” investigator Bruce Band wrote to the MGC. As for getting change on your slot play, which the machines round down to the nearest dollar, you have to go to the cashier to get it. “It was probably not posted clearly enough by Encore,” wrote Band. In a ‘my bad’ move, Encore will begin posting signage that reads, “Machine only dispenses cash, ticket will print for change. Please take ticket to the cashier to redeem.” President Robert DeSalvio has also floated the idea of installing coin-in/coin-out machines. “Every single customer gets every dollar and every penny that they have coming due to them,” he added.

But plaintiff’s attorney Joshua Garick is scarcely mollified. “We’re very disappointed that the investigation arm of the commission in under 24 hours conducted what they claim to be an investigation into our allegations,”  he told the Boston Globe. His next step will be to pursue his allegations of cheating in court.

Scientific Games is taking a belated victory lap for red-hot Encore Boston Harbor. It sold 875 slot machines and 170-plus tables to the Wynn Resorts casino. So, if you are playing Dancing Drums, Jin Ji Bao Xi, Lock It Link or Heidi & Hannah’s Bier Haus, you have Scientific to thank.

* Even though almost all its Las Vegas Strip properties are theoretically up for grabs, Caesars Entertainment continues to invest in its fair-haired boy, The Linq. The latest amenity is a Tesla Supercharger station. We’re in favor of anything that makes Las Vegas less polluted, so hail Caesars.