Roulette Cheaters Arrested during Boston Casino’s First Day of Business

Casino News Daily

June 25, 2019

Four people were arrested during the first 24 hours of operation of Encore Boston Harbor, Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie told media on Monday.

The property opened doors on Sunday to great fanfare, with tens of thousands flocking to the City of Everett near Boston to attend the grand opening of the latest addition to Wynn Resorts’ portfolio of luxury integrated resorts.

Mr. Mazzie revealed that two of the arrested individuals were caught attempting to cheat at a roulette table on Sunday. David Procopio of the Massachusetts State Police added that Jankelli S. Volquez, 27, and Hector Hernandez, 56, were observed cheating the new casino and were charged with cheating and conspiracy.

Another patron was detained and charged with trespassing after being kicked out of the casino, and a fourth person was charged with disorderly conduct.

Mr. Mazzie told media that besides the above-mentioned four arrests, there were no major incidents during the casino resort’s first 24 hours of business.

Encore Boston Harbor features Massachusetts’ second commercial Las Vegas style casino, with MGM Springfield being home to the first such facility. Las Vegas casino operator Wynn Resorts invested $2.6 billion in the property, which is now operational along the Mystic River in Everett, a city located in the lucrative Greater Boston area.

Traffic Concerns

There have been major concerns that Sunday’s opening of the luxury resort would cause massive congestion and would hamper traffic in the region. Mr. Mazzie told media on Monday that he did not see much traffic on the roads, despite the major event.

He attributed the lack of traffic jams to Wynn Resorts’ promotional initiatives to encourage visitors to use public transit on opening day. The company offered free shuttles at several stations on Sunday to provide people who wanted to attend the opening of its property with an alternative to driving to Encore Boston Harbor.

To ensure that its resort would not have a massive negative impact on traffic in the region now that it is operational, Wynn Resorts previously consulted with engineer, bus operators, boating experts, and the police to come up with different public transit options for patrons coming to the complex.

James Folk, Executive Director of Transportation at Encore Boston Harbor, has previously said that wherever a visitor is coming from, there is a way to get to the resort without driving. For instance, boat shuttles are now running every 20-30 minutes between the Boston Seaport to the property in Everett. The boats operate seven days a week, year-round.

Encore Boston Harbor expects to annually attract 8 million visitors. Property officials hope that the resort will not cause traffic trouble in future.

The luxury complex saw equally strong attendance on Monday, the day after its grand opening, a spokesperson for Wynn Resorts said. She went on to say that they are “very pleased with our visitation thus far and the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve received from guests about the Encore experience.”

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