Hollywood Betting Ban: Studios Block Staff Bets
Alex Harper • Nov 6, 2026 
What Encore Boston Harbor Workers Won
Terms run for five and a half years. Reps on the union side say the pay package lines up with what other Boston hospitality contracts pay right now. Health coverage stays in place too. New language also covers how and when staff can be let go.
Two separate unions negotiated the deal. One is UNITE HERE Local 26, led by Carlos Aramayo. The other is Teamsters Local 25. Aramayo told members they had stayed firm through weeks of brutal outdoor conditions. Neither side has shared the actual wage numbers.
Who walked out? Almost every customer-facing role at the property. Think front-of-house crew in the restaurants. Housekeeping staff. Dealers’ floor support. The cage. Warehouse hands, drivers, and the folks parking cars out front. Their prior labor deal had lapsed on August 31.
How the Strike Hit Encore Boston Harbor
Encore Boston Harbor’s casino floor itself never closed. But the extras suffered. Encore’s free boat link from Boston stopped running. Valet parking shut. Multiple dining rooms on site went offline. A noticeable chunk of regulars also stayed home rather than cross the line.
The revenue column shows it clearly. Monthly gaming take for September slid to roughly $46.1 million at the Everett property. That marks a drop of around 22 percent against the same month in 2025. Across the full three months, the property’s adjusted earnings figure reached $50.1 million. On the earnings call, Wynn chief Craig Billings framed the labor dispute as a minor drag. He treated it as a passing issue, not a serious blow.
What the Encore Boston Harbor Deal Means for Players
Planning a trip to the Everett property soon? Full service should be coming back online in the days after the vote. Management has not shared a fixed timetable. But in practice, shuttered services usually come back to life within a week or two once staff return. Room availability and table coverage should follow the same curve.
The broader US casino industry is watching too. Las Vegas Strip casinos settled similar disputes with their Culinary Union workers in late 2023. This Boston outcome sits in the same groove. Staff held out, ownership moved on wages, and both sides can live with the result.
Choosing between an in-person night out and playing at home? Online play never slowed down during any of this. Want something close to the feel of a real table? Live dealer games run out of licensed US studios will do the job. Not sure whether real-money play is even legal where you live? The state-by-state breakdown of online casinos for US players covers it.
One Trade-Off Worth Noting
No strike ends without bruises. Staff gave up roughly nine weeks of pay, and Wynn absorbed a meaningful dent in Q3 numbers. This deal closes the fight for now. The contract runs five and a half years. That puts the next round of talks around mid-2032.
The fine print has not gone public. That is standard practice right after a contract vote. Over the next few weeks, specifics should start leaking out. Expect the wage curve, health plan contributions, and the new termination rules first. Members themselves are still working through the paperwork.
The Bottom Line
This marked the first full-blown strike at Encore Boston Harbor since it opened in 2019. Staff came away with the pay, coverage, and job protections they walked for. Management gets a fully staffed property again and can start putting Q3 behind them.
From the player’s seat, the picture is simpler. Encore Boston Harbor is operating at full capacity again, the ferry runs, and the dining rooms are serving. Had a visit penciled in? This is a fine week to lock in a booking. For the rest of what’s moving across the US gambling map, follow our casino industry news desk. We track openings, closures, and licensing shifts.
