The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) in partnership with Encore Boston Harbor (EBH) and GameSense launched “PlayMyWay,” a voluntary budgeting tool available on electronic games at EBH. PlayMyWay is designed to allow Wynn Rewards players the ability to monitor the amount of money they spend, and to support their decision to continue or stop play. PlayMyWay is an innovative budgeting tool currently available to patrons at Plainridge Park Casino, MGM Springfield and now accessible at EBH.
PlayMyWay is an optional benefit for Wynn Rewards players, which allows them the opportunity to personalize their play by setting a budget before they begin gambling.
“Encore Boston Harbor has collaborated with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health and GameSense, to develop responsible gaming strategies since day one,” said Jenny Holaday, president of Encore Boston Harbor. “PlayMyWay is a natural extension of those efforts, empowering our guests with new technology to proactively manage their playing decisions.”
PlayMyWay is intended to help players make decisions about gambling, allow them to monitor and understand their playing behavior in real time, and support their decisions. The PlayMyWay program is the latest tool added to MGC’s wide-ranging and unique responsible gaming framework known as GameSense.
“Providing players with all the necessary information and resources available will help them make well informed decisions about their gambling, including when to stop and how much to spend,” said Mark Vander Linden, MGC’s Director of Research and Responsible Gaming. “PlayMyWay supports informed player choice by giving people the opportunity to set a budget before they begin, and then reinforcing that decision through the gambling session. We’re thrilled that this tool is now available at each Massachusetts casino.”
Patrons at EBH can sign up for PlayMyWay by inserting their Wynn Rewards card into any slot machine, electronic game, or at the PlayMyWay Kiosk at the GameSense Info Center. Card holders will be prompted to choose a voluntarily daily, weekly and/or monthly budget to track their spending at EBH. Once enrolled, patrons will receive automatic notifications as they approach and reach the budget they set. If a player continues to play, notifications will be received at 25% intervals. This program is voluntary, and a player can un-enroll or adjust the budget at any time.
“Responsible gaming is always front of mind in all the work we do at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, and PlayMyWay is another tool to help patrons keep their gambling safe and fun,” said MGC Chair Cathy Judd-Stein. “Encore Boston Harbor has embraced this program as a tool that can help their customers. The launch of PlayMyWay at Encore Boston Harbor marks a completion of the MGC’s goal of offering a uniform platform for slot machine players to set a budget and track their play at any Massachusetts casino.”
PlayMyWay was originally rolled out as a pilot program at Plainridge Park Casino in 2016 and recently at MGM Springfield in April 2022. Now a fixture at both properties, PlayMyWay currently has nearly 32,000 patrons enrolled between the two properties. PlayMyWay at EBH is a custom-designed application developed by IGT. The integrated play management software utilizes a simple, easy to understand interface that includes graphics to aid players.
Patrons who are interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to visit the GameSense Info Center inside EBH to talk with a GameSense Advisor about the program.
“For many, gambling can be a fun form of entertainment, but much like other fun activities, it’s easy to spend more time playing than originally intended – and as a result, exceed your entertainment budget,” said Marlene Warner, Executive Director for the Massachusetts Council on Gambling and Health. “PlayMyWay allows players to voluntarily pre-commit to a spending budget and then adds helpful transparency to their spending in real-time, empowering them to make informed and healthy choices.”
