Spin Cycle: Encore Strike Settlement Highlights Week In Gambling

Welcome to “Spin Cycle,” Casino Reports’ weekly Friday roundup of all things impactful, intriguing, impressive, or idiotic in the gambling industry. Pull up a chair, grab a stack of chips and a glass of your beverage of choice, and take a spin with us through this week’s news cycle …

Back to work, Boston

Good news: The labor strike at Encore Boston Harbor did not end up lasting as long as the famous 1980s and ‘90s work stoppage at H&H Bagels.

UNITE HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 announced Thursday evening that they had signed a new contract with the Wynn-owned casino in Everett, Massachusetts, ending the strike two months and one day after it began.

“Our members walked out not knowing what came next. They held the line through cold, rain, and storm, and they held it together,” said UNITE HERE Local 26 President Carlos Aramayo in a press release. “Now they go back in as partners with Encore Boston Harbor, with respect on both sides. This community stood with us. Now we get to give it the five-star service it deserves.”

Details of the new collective bargaining agreement were not made public. Employees were seeking higher wages, better benefits, and more job security.

“I’m pleased to announce that we were recently able to reach a framework for a resolution with union leadership that is both fair and economically feasible over the long term,” Wynn Resorts CEO Craig Billings said Thursday as the company announced its quarterly earnings. “We are very happy with where we landed. We’ll turn that into numbers on the next call.”

More news to know …

• Notable news in Michigan at the intersection of horse racing and regulated online gaming: Effective Oct. 30, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) authorized mobile sportsbook operators to offer fixed-odds wagering on horse races for the first time. “Adding fixed-odds wagering to our catalogue lets us meet … demand while continuing to support a fair and well-regulated horse racing market in Michigan,” said MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams.
• Though Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin suing Kalshi Wednesday got the bulk of the attention because of the outsized coverage afforded prediction markets, the AG also took aim at sweepstakes operator VGW in a separate suit. “VGW’s claim that the distinction between the virtual currency one buys and the virtual currency one redeems is weak at best, and courts have rejected this too-cute-by-half logic time and time again,” Griffin said in a press release. The lawsuit seeks a monetary penalty against VGW in addition to stopping the site from operating in the state.

• Can you handle two Seinfeld references in a single Spin Cycle column? After more than two decades of performing stand-up at Caesars Palace when he plays Las Vegas, Jerry Seinfeld this week announced a 12-show residency at Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Theater for 2027. No word on whether Jerry will ask Keith Hernandez to help him move his stuff from Caesars to Wynn.
• We have the date for the 2027 edition of Fanatics Fest: June 24-27, at its usual home, the Javits Center in New York City. Fanatics hosted more than 200,000 attendees for the 2026 edition and, according to a release, “promises to raise the bar even further” next year.

• Jackpot stories are always fun — and doubly so when two players share in them. As the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Monday, a progressive baccarat jackpot hit at The Palms to the tune of $1.15 million, and both a local player and a tourist were in the hand and won $577,462 apiece. Neither winner was identified publicly.

House Rules: Insights from around our network

Casino Expansion Outlook Improves From Election Results In Texas, Ohio, Georgia

Massachusetts Lottery Introduces Scratch N’ Sniff Scratch-Offs

Offshore Online Poker Hack Makes Another Argument For Regulation

Canadian Bill That Would Create Federal Ad Framework Heads To Final Vote In House Of Commons

Bally's Corporation Beats My Parents To My Birthday

New Jersey Player Wins Second-Biggest Powerball Jackpot of 2026, Ninth Largest Ever

Small stakes and hot takes

This week on the Casino Reports podcast Low Rollers, sponsored by TheLines.com, I welcomed Matt Mullis, a doctoral student researcher at the West Virginia University Center for Gaming Research and Development. He offered insights on the correlation between Social Security check distribution and VGT play, what he’s observed about online casino cross-sell, when West Virginia is likely to reach iGaming maturation and/or oversaturation, and more.

I also broke down how the midterm election results in Texas, Ohio, and Georgia impact hopes for casino expansion in those states, and I shared the details of my former co-host Jeff Edelstein finishing in first place in a DraftKings GPP but not being able to savor his victory for long.

Full episode:

The Shuffle: Other news and views

Voters In Steuben, Dekalb, Allen Counties Say No To Possible Casino [The Journal Gazette]

Sahara Launches Crypto Payments For Casino Chips, Tickets [CDC Gaming]

Polis’ Final Budget Plan Seeks To Raise Casino Taxes, Slow Growth Of Medicaid Significantly [The Sum & Substance]

Texas Gambling Push On Tap For Penn Entertainment After Midterm Elections [SBC Americas]

Philly’s Skill Games Removal Leaves Businesses Counting Losses And Advocates Weighing Risks [Billy Penn at WHYY]

Nova Scotia Weighs Risks Of Online Gambling As Other Provinces Expand Access [Global News]

Student Seeking Sales Receipt Gets Powerball Ticket Worth $2 Million At NC Store [The Charlotte Observer]

Light & Wonder Third Quarter Revenue Dips, Profits Jump [CDC Gaming]

Cash Only At Turning Stone Casino After 'Cyber Security Incident' [Daily Sentinel]

The Bonus Round

Completing the Spin Cycle with a few of our favorite social media posts of the week: