The Encore Boston Harbor casino-resort opens at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 23, after years of planning, construction, and not a little controversy. Its official address is 1 Broadway in Everett.

Here is more on eastern Massachusetts’ largest recreational gambling hub by the numbers, according to Wynn Resorts, the Las Vegas-based company behind it.

The Conservation Law Foundation has followed through on its threat to sue Wynn Resorts after observing excessive idling among the shuttle buses that serve Wynn’s new Encore Boston Harbor casino. On September 17, 2014, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted to approve Wynn Resorts’ proposed $1.6 billion casino to be located in Everett, Massachusetts on the Mystic River, just north of Boston. This project will be known as Encore Boston Harbor and was scheduled to open in 2019.

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Total square-footage. The entire property runs to 3 million square feet, including the casino, the hotel portion, the outdoor space, the grounds, etc.

Landscaping. The complex unfolds over 33 acres. There will be 800 trees more than 15 feet tall, 105,000 shrubs, and 61,000 flowers. There will be 115,000 square feet of patterned brick and 50,000 square feet of synthetic turf. A 44,000-gallon irrigation tank system will help water the landscaping via roof drainage.

Casino. It will be 210,000 square feet. There will be 3,158 slot machines, 143 table games, 88 poker tables, 231 table games total, and 60 high-limit slots, including two private rooms within the high-limit slots with three machines in each room.

Conference and meeting space. There will 50,000 square feet of it total, and include 10 breakout rooms and a 37,000-square-foot grand ballroom.

Spa. It will be 26,000 square feet, and include 17 treatment rooms, six stylist stations, two pedicure stations, four manicure tables, two makeup stations, four shampoo stations, and one barber station.

Hotel. There will be 671 guest rooms and suites. They will range in size from 650 square feet to 5,800 square feet. Wynn Resorts notes that the average size of a New England hotel room is 250 square feet. The thread count on the linen will be 507. The fitness center will be 3,648 square feet.

Restaurants and other eateries. The casino-resort will host 15 food and beverage options, including four independently owned places.

Shops. There will be five: Wynn Collection, Wynn Mens, Wynn Beauty, the Drugstore, and Watches of Switzerland.

Outdoor space. There will 26,000 square feet of it available to guests, hotel and otherwise.

Carousel. The casino-resort’s merry-go-round will have 10 horses, 83,000 flowers, and 11,000 jewels.

Ferries. What Wynn is calling the Encore Premium Harbor Shuttle is expected to take 28,393 trips per year via four vessels, ferrying riders from locations at the World Trade Center in the Seaport District and Long Wharf on the downtown Boston waterfront to the resort.

Wynn Boston Harbor Casino Location Map

Employees. A small army of 5,500 is expected to service the Encore Boston Harbor.

Special mirror. The Encore Boston Harbor will include one mirror from the original Desert Inn Hotel in Las Vegas, which is now the site of Wynn Resorts’ flagship Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas.

Wynn Boston Harbor Opening

[toc]Massachusettspassed a law to allow three casinos and a slots parlor to operate in the state in 2011. Six years later, the state only has the slots parlor, Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville.

After years of holdups, the casino projects are underway, but Wynn Boston Harbor hit a couple of different skids this year. The luxury resort recently announced construction revisions and increased costs for the multi-billion dollar project.

Wynn Boston Harbor revises retail plan

When the state granted Wynn one of the available gaming licenses, casino developer Steve Wynn sold the concept with the promise of retail. More than just a casino, Wynn Boston Harbor was going to be a high-end shopping destination.

Revised plans indicate there will be only 9,000 square feet of retail space. By comparison, the original plans set aside 56,000 square feet for shops.

Wynn Boston Harbor President Bob DeSalvio announced the changes at a March 2 meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC). A total of ten retail scores have been scrapped from the plans. DeSalvio cited the retail economy as the reason behind the change:

“I’m sure everyone is aware of the retail work being in a bit of an upheaval at the moment. The heavy duty pressure to do online has moved many retailers to cut back on the numbers of stores.”

DeSalvio says the casino courted many of the high-end retailers on Newberry Street in Boston, but had trouble convincing the stores to relocate. Rather than lower the standard of retail tenant, the casino chose to revise the retail plans.

Casino will lose some retail revenue, but gain jobs

Wynn Boston Harbor Construction

Instead of shopping space, the property will feature an additional ballroom in the convention area as well as more restaurant space.

There will be a single retail space called Wynn Collection. The store will house several high-end brands under a single roof, operated by the casino.

The loss of retail space will not result in the loss of jobs. The changes produced a net gain of 177 full-time positions at Wynn Boston Harbor.

Changes and construction costs balloon Wynn costs to $2.4 billion

The changes also mean there will be increased costs to bring the casino to fruition. Revamping the layout is not the only reason the budget is increasing, however.

DeSalvio cited unexpectedly high construction costs at the meeting as another reason costs were going up.

As a result, the project’s budget has ballooned from $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion.

Wynn Boston Harbor Casino Location Map

At this price tag, Wynn Boston Harbor will cost as much to complete as high-end Nevada casinos The Palazzo and Bellagio. MGM Springfield, the other Massachusetts casino project, currently sports a $950 million price tag.

Encore Boston Harbor

MGM Springfield has a scheduled opening of spring 2018. Wynn Boston Harbor will not open until 2019.