 Thank you, Austin. Good morning. I'm calling to order public meeting number 291 of the Massachusetts gaming Commission today held on Thursday, March 12th 2020 at 10 a.m. In our offices here at 101 Federal Street in Boston Today consistent with our regular practice our meeting will be live streamed while members of the public are Still welcome to attend in person. We have strongly recommended remote attendance in addition External meeting participants will today participate remotely via the phone We're imagining the technology will be all set and we just invite the public to Appreciate a little patience as we connect our external speakers by phone in the last several days We have seen the expanding global and local impact of the corona virus I want to commend our internal team here for all the efforts These past weeks assessing in fact gathering to inform our policies and practices under these challenging changing circumstances the entire team here at the gaming Commission has worked collaboratively to To ensure we as public servants continue to do our jobs in this dynamic environment We have of course emphasized that health and safety is our priority I think all of you the employees at the gaming Commission for taking individual responsibility to practice all recommended hygiene practices and And I appreciate continued vigilance. Excuse me Our leadership team also has been in regular consultation with our licensees other key external stakeholders and of course state officials for proper planning and preparedness You have already learned of practical steps Here that you've taken for your individual safety I'm sorry. And yes, that includes as we said hand washing and surface cleansing But we also have been working with our licensees to make sure that they too are vigilant and we appreciate on-court Boston harbors The MGM Springfield and Plain Ridge Park casinos continued cooperation and transparency The format of this meeting is aligned with the governor's emergency declaration at the end of the day on Tuesday that he issued and The related issuance of the executive department core coronavirus advisory, which you'll learn more of from Interim Executive Director Wells As played out in the news hourly, it is clear that our guidance regarding how to address The spread of the coronavirus must be nimble indeed last night We saw our president address the nation to explain new restrictions on European travel among other items and in addition We have heard yesterday that the NBA has suspended its season. Our interim Executive Director will provide more detailed up-to-date on all of our preparations However, my message today is that the Commission and its staff Stand ready to adapt to changing Circumstances as the state and the nation consider how to most effectively deal with the many difficult challenges involving the spread of the coronavirus Both staff in the Commission will be prepared to implement further guidance that may be issued at these levels While we will continue to pay careful attention to any new developments We want to stress some very important items of advice right now that our public health partners are prioritizing Public health officials continue to urge a series of precautionary measures as it relates again to reducing and preventing the spread Internally by exercising increased hygiene and sanitization We are working closely with our building here to make sure that those efforts are prioritized Furthermore, the CDC has issued specific guidance about high-risk individuals and large gatherings Specifically older adults and people who have severe underlying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes Seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from this illness People who are at higher risk are encouraged to avoid crowds as much as possible As I indicated you will now hear more details from Karen Wells our interim executive director Who will emphasize that we are staying aligned with the guidance from the governor the Department of Public Health in the CDC This will be the first time all of us as a commission have been together and I expect questions We are looking forward to your report interim director Wells and in light of that I asked that we suspend item number two on our agenda and that we turn to instead item 9 Number three and then we'll go back to the minutes after the conclusion of your report Thank you, and again a big. Thank you to all of the Mgc team members You've been working hard not only on this very very important matter, but your day-to-day operations and All of us I know have been watching that and we appreciate all of your vigilance and your diligence and your commitment Thank you. Good morning, madam chair and members of the Commission this time is for as For the general update item 3a on the the agenda I just like to update the Commission on the mass gaming Commission preparedness issues related to the coronavirus as Such I'd like to also move item 3d and incorporate that as part of item 3a Because that involves part of our preparedness plan Just like every other state agency in the Commonwealth We are monitoring potential impacts of the coronavirus to our operations and we're coordinating With the subject matter experts at the Department of Public Health As they focus on the health and well-being of the Commonwealth To keep people informed of the situation as this continues to evolve We have now mobilized a new webpage massgaming.com Backslash COVID-19 I'd like to commend Elaine Driscoll our communications director for setting that up so quickly Some points that are noted as part of the new webpage As information related to the coronavirus continues to rapidly evolve Mgc will use the dedicated webpage to provide commission related updates and advisories So that is an excellent resource not only for our staff, but also the public Also, I want to highlight that the Mgc is engaged with frequent infrequent communications with gaming licensees and state officials to share information monitor developments And determine appropriate next steps. This is a collaborative effort Individuals are encouraged to routinely review the department of public health and centers for disease control and prevention websites for regular updates This website will also be updated as appropriate So I encourage folks on our staff and the public to routinely check to see if there's any new information posted on the website Included on that website is the following statement from the mass gaming commission The Mgc is proactively engaged in frequent discussions with gaming licensees focused on Prioritizing the health safety and well-being of casino guests employees and regulators Like many organizations, we are closely monitoring Developments from the cdc and the massachusetts department of public health Our licensees are employing enhanced sanitation procedures and other precautionary measures while we maintain a constant dialogue With the casinos and other stakeholders sharing collective updates to inform appropriate next steps So as to item 3d on the agenda, which I'd like to incorporate as I discussed some of our preparedness measures On tuesday march 10th assistant secretary and chief human resources officer for the state human resources division Issued a coronavirus advisory to executive branch employees that memo is included in your packet I am recommending that the commission formally adopt the precautionary measures outlined by the governor's office Included in that guidance is the following One all work-related travel both foreign and domestic is to be discontinued until further notice Staff with outstanding travel commitments or concerns about handling Pardon me. It's canceling scheduled travel should bring such concerns to the attention of their agency head We also strongly encourage that you avoid any personal international travel Two conferences seminars and other discretionary gatherings Scheduled and hosted by executive branch agencies involving external parties are to be held virtually or canceled Regular internal business style continue Including but not limited to mandated public hearings and board meetings Meetings organizers are encouraged to utilize alternatives like conference calls web acts and other communicate group communication tools Additionally employees should not attend external work-related conferences. Pardon me. So number three Additionally, employees should not attend external work-related conferences seminars or events Alternatively employees are encouraged to participate remotely And number four as previously communicated Employees feeling sick with fever or flu symptoms should not come into work Information available to date regarding covid-19 indicates that the highest risk population Includes older adults and individuals with serious chronic medical conditions Employees in this risk group are encouraged to talk with their supervisors to review possible alternative work assignments The governor indicated each of the above measures will be revisited Revisited in 30 days or sooner as circumstances dictate So you have the entire memorandum from jeff mccue that assistant secretary and chief human resources officer So at this time as far as agency operations, my request is that the commission Adopt the governor's measures as policy for the massachusetts gaming commission Well, I certainly agree with that recommendation. It's a well thought out memo. I've had a chance to look and I I would agree with that assessment that we adopt those Those recommendations Before we have any action on that motion, I want to make sure that there are any particular questions on this item for Karen On the particular motion. Okay. No, do we have a second second All those in favor Opposed 5-0 and thank you. Thank you Now I also want to advise you that the situation may change in the coming days or weeks and that the governor may offer Further directives or guidance My recommendation for this agency is that mass gaming commission staff presumptively follow any additional Directives from the governor and that we remain flexible in setting up further communication part further communication And further commission meetings to address any changing circumstances That may mean more frequent meetings or meetings utilizing accommodating formats So just to put it out there for the commission and then the public this this is a fast moving and involving situation And we need to be flexible and nimble in how we deal with it So there may be additional meetings. We may do some other formats using some technology But you should be aware and that my expectation is there may be more directors from the governor and that We will bring those to you in in the public commission meetings But until we get to that point presumptively we would follow along with the commission. That's that's my expectation Unless there's any comment to the first comment to to the contrary that would be I think how we would operate We would just get the information to the full commission as soon as possible I would think so and I would also think that interim executive director wells would be empowered to do Any sort of announcements in that regard pending Any necessary commission meeting between today's date and anything that may come up I do know it is a priority under the Directive that public meetings continue to be held and the board meetings continue to be held The governor did address that precisely in his guidance We will be able to be very nimble and convening and to that end We will use all tools available to make sure that we're we're Giving the proper guidance for the entire Operations in the executive staff I'm just envisioning if something happens before the next convening whether something becomes more Restrained and we do run into a problem calling a meeting. Well, I again, I think that what I want to assure Everyone here is that we are going to be able to work together to convene Meetings to assist as a commission as a public body I'm just talking about and in other circumstances We've just made sure the executive director can sort of do it in the interim to make clarity And then we deal with it when we convene again Yeah, I agree. I think public safety is paramount our employees and those that That we regulate and So following those guidelines will be essential and of course we will Make ourselves available Very quickly, but I do agree that in the interim something comes out at eight o'clock at night our executive director has the ability to Maybe send an email and advise folks of a new a new policy Or a new recommendation and then we will follow suit as quickly as possible Is there anything further on that any other comments for me? Okay, at this point, I'd like to advise the commission on Mgc operational planning policy and prevention The mgc is making every effort to maintain a safe and healthy work environment while closely following guidance issued by federal state and public health officials An internal departmental team has been convened and is actively engaged in monitoring the rapidly evolving situation assessing risk And identifying implementation needs the team has also been tasked with developing contingency readiness operational redundancy And overall preparedness planning The mgc has instituted a series of precautionary measures including enhanced sanitization Sanitization And the mgc has enhanced cleaning and sanitization procedures for the boston office and the mgc offices and game sense info centers Located at each casino property including heightened disinfectant protocols for high touch point areas and the increased availability of hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies Travel restrictions as you just ratified in keeping with guidance the guidance from private provided by the massachusetts human resources division h.r.d All work related travel both foreign and domestic and discontinued until further notice Preparedness for increased tele telework or remote work The mgc information technology division i.t.s Is working to ensure our agency is able to access many if not all of its systems remotely Employees have received updated instructions and training on remote access capabilities including remote collaborative technology Wellness policy and workers at high risk Employees feeling sick with fever or flu symptoms are required to stay home from work According to the h.r.d. Information indicates that the highest risk population includes older adults and individuals with serious serious chronic medical conditions Employees in this risk group have been encouraged to talk with their supervisors To review possible alternative work assignments to reduce their exposure to others or the chances of being infected I also'd like to address public meeting modifications as you can see from the The phone that we have here today As the situation continues to rapidly evolve the mgc will make decisions regarding public meetings on a case-by-case basis The mgc has a well established Live stream system allowing for convenient remote access External parties will participate remotely by call in The commission continues to maintain a robust online meeting archive that includes convenient access to all meeting materials transcripts and videos And in keeping with guidance issued by governor baker and declared in the state of emergency Discretionary gatherings that involve external partners are to be held virtually or canceled I also like to address some casino mitigation and prevention initiatives Gaming licensees remain in frequent communication with regulators and other government officials sharing updates about precautionary measures mitigation planning and contingency Preparations including but not limited to the following Engagement of independent experts to advise about best practices and strategies during a public health crisis Enhanced cleaning protocols including additional hand sanitizer dispensing stations in high traffic areas and increased frequent Frequency of disinfectant procedures throughout the properties Enhanced communication to patrons and casino staff about prevention tips and critical health information Including that risk for older adults and those with pre-existing medical conditions Enhanced communication to workforce about health wellness and sick leave policies Continued monitoring of the guidance provided by federal state and public health officials And I'd also like to really reiterate what chair judd stein had said earlier earlier this important advisory Which we keep reminding you the cd has issued specific guidance about high-risk individuals and large gatherings specifically those older adults and people who have severe underlying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes They seem to be at higher risk of Pardon me for developing more serious complications from the covet 19 illness People who are at higher risk are encouraged to avoid crowds as much as possible The casinos have also taken measures on on their own as far as informing the public The encore boston harbour has more information about precautionary measures on their website If you look at our link on our website, they will link to that boston harbour one as well And mgm also has As part of their corporate initiative. They have a corporate website with more information And to sum up I'd also like to review some tips and information because it is really important that we all collectively work together And and know what the best practices are and this is the information Recommended by the cdc The best event defense against spreading illness now that includes seasonal influenza the common cold and covid 19 Is to follow some simple preventative guidelines as recommended Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available Avoid close contact with others who are sick Avoid touching your eyes nose and mouth Stay home when you are not feeling well Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze then throw the tissue in the trash If you don't have a tissue cough or sneeze into your upper sleeves not into your hands And clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces phones computer components door handles, etc I recognize that this is a time when our employees and the public are very concerned about these public health developments I would like to thank our staff for their cooperation Collaboration and their steady work ethic We are committed to keeping our staff informed with frequent updates And know that nothing is more important than their health and safety So that concludes my update for you I don't know if you have any particular questions for me And we also have our ombudsman john xiemba present who has been running point with our preparedness operations for the situation Thank you for that update Karen just a point of clarification When the guideline says a restriction on domestic travel That is of course to be understood as interstate not necessarily within the state So our staff continues to be assigned to the casinos and they Correct Go home and go back Correct. So for example, I could still travel to mgm springfield to go do something at mgm springfield That is not a restriction. Can I travel to las vegas for a meeting or for a conference? Absolutely not Thank you Karen, do you want to address some of the Practices that are particular to those who are working at the uh, our licensees Sites right so Obviously we have the boston office here And then we have three remote sites and we are equally concerned about all our employees wherever they work So we have made sure that employees at the sites are That they have the required tools for example the hand sanitizer and the wipes so that they disinfect And the for example the gaming agents chief is working with the gaming agents on Some revised protocols for what they do to minimize contact and minimize risk because we do have some capability Through technology with surveillance operations and cameras and things we can do to minimize contact So their health and safety is critical to us as an agency so We will continue to monitor the situation also keep them informed and also listen to them and see if they have concerns I do want to emphasize that anyone Who has concerns if they have an underlying health condition their age or they live with someone that may have an underlying health condition Encourage them to talk to a supervisor because we want to be able to help people in this situation We don't want people feeling anxious or upset or concerned. We want to handle this together as a team So I would just want my message to those people We care about what you what you're doing We care about you as a person and we want to make sure you're you're you're taking care of in your position You you uh mentioned this briefly, but can you expand a little bit as to whether Licenses are taking some enhanced Yes, yes, and we we've been in having many many conversations with them on their enhanced procedures I think one of the most critical Is that they have engaged these independent experts as advisors for this as I Assume everyone expect, you know, I am not an expert on disease prevention or disease control So they have brought in experts to advise on what they should be doing And we are having them follow the expert advice on what needs to be done Given their business plan and what what their operations are and that may continue to evolve and change But the experts are in a better position to understand what they should be doing for public health concerns They also have their enhanced cleaning protocols They are informing us of all they're doing as far as their routine cleaning And they're also talking to their employees and working with their employees about Their situation and what they what they can do as employers should should anyone get sick And today we will be hearing from Two of our licensees in their quarterly reports. So if you have you may be able to ask more specific questions exactly Captain connor's this morning regarding Massachusetts state police has their own product protocols for dealing with the public and he's already informed all his lieutenants of those protocols and Procedures for dealing with the public. So I know that's Those efforts are underway too. I think we're as prepared as we possibly can be You may want to just address our game sense advisors as well Yes, so we have confirmed with the licensees that they are also Going to be that that that space is also going to have that enhanced cleaning protocol and then the The head of the game sends marlene warner. She is working with them and in connection with The other officials the state officials for example the you know the governor's office and Dph on what needs to be done. So we're all working collaboratively. I think that's the message here is that Again, none of us is as smart as all of us as all of us. So we need to work together with different Agencies and with the different operators and different members of our staff to figure out, okay Given the situation we've got here here. What are the right steps that we should be taking and ensure We're taking those steps Before we move on. Are there any further questions on This update we could always turn back to it if you think of something I would like to take a a short break if you don't mind just for a clarification of a matter And then we'll convene to An operational report that We're looking forward to if you don't mind if I could have five minutes. Thanks so much Thank you for your patience. We've reconvened a meeting Number 291 here at the gaming commission and we are now looking forward to an update from Derek your team if you want to introduce everyone and it's an update on the promotional gaming meter Which is sub item 3b. So we're skipping the minutes Oh, no, I was going to conclude Karen's entire piece and then we'll turn to the minutes. Thank you Good man. Good morning, madam chair and commissioners Is that all is that on the mic? It is on. I'm just you might want to bring it rather than hang Let's all wipe over it Do you do you want to just bring a little closer? Thank you. All right. I'm joined by Priya Gandatra Douglas O'Donnell Bruce band and Scott Helwig and we're here to update you on a project We've been working on On your packet. You have a summary memorandum a letter of request from mgm springfield And a powerpoint deck from mgc's gaming technology division In september of 2019 mgm springfield requested an alternate meter Called the cashable electronic promotion in meter We'll refer to that as cepi going forward Be used for promotional play calculations rather than the cashable promotion played meter Staff of the mgc's investigations and enforcement bureau the information technology division And the finance division Have reviewed the request to make sure it meets the following requirements one per two 205 cmi 140.02 paragraph one sub paragraph e A promotional gaming credit must show one it was issued by the gaming licensee as a gaming a promotional gaming credit In accordance with mass general law chapter 23 k section two and two It was received as a wager in the gaming licensee's gaming establishment Second we look to make sure it did not cause any harmful impacts to the mgc's central monitoring system In third we look to make sure that any change that we would recommend would be implemented in a responsible manner The reason the request came from mgm is laid out. I think very well and better than I could ever write it In mgm's letter to the commission which is attached to this correspondence. However, um for purposes of a presentation I'll try to simplify it in a quick example The igt advantage system utilized by both mgm springfield and on core boston harbour requires patrons to insert some of their own money Into a slot machine in order to gain access to their free play They call this is seeding the bed or fronting the bed Once the patron makes a bet with their own money, they're refunded their money by the casino In order for then turned into free play You actually have to make another bet you have to play that second bet which is different from most other Free play systems we see where the second you put your card in you download your free play credits and you spin It's a free play So we took a look at this and we said The way that they're actually doing the bet doesn't Entitle them to the promotional play that they're that our statute and our regulation allows for so the first thing we said is Now we need to take a look at the cashable Um electronic promotion in meter does that step it right away and it does so that meets our needs um So a big piece of it was just understanding what they were talking about and priya and scott were great at that They took us out to the machine. They put a bet in they put $5 in they put on the free on The test time they showed us What meters actually stepped what didn't step and then we actually took it out back and ran it through What would happen on a gross gaming revenue calculation piece and under the old system The casino is getting taxed on that gross game on that free play Under the new meter they would not get taxed under it so um It was it was a strange situation. There was no harm to the patron because the patron was getting reimbursed no matter what It's just a casino wasn't getting credit for the for the free play um so Once we kind of realized that the next thing we did was we turned it over to the it team and we said hey if We allowed the casino to do this. What are the issues and the the it team came back to us with some three things they really wanted us To make sure the cms could do one make sure that New meter was being captured in our system because it wasn't part of the initial scoping of the project So are we capturing that in our house system? second Would that meter ever be used for something in the future? Because each meter has a specific reason If we allowed people to put debit cards in if we allowed in the future, which we don't do now Would this have a downstream impact? um in the third was How can we develop a plan of implementing this that isn't harmful to our other licensee who is using the acc sc system? so How do we get these new reports in these new fields into our database? Which is using one report for the end of day meter calculation To get this resolved and I can If you'd like I can take a break here and if you want to ask questions of scott and free of how they did that I mean this was a lot of work that they had to go through for fairly simple issue that bruce dug and I had to look at If doesn't meet our regulation Then it's how do we make this work and there's a power point kind of attached to that where they Came back to us with three options, but I can take a break now if you have any specific technology questions Or I can just keep going with the basics and then leave any questions at the end I'm thinking of one and then maybe you'll address it collectively later So was there back to a ppc with its different system? Was that a problem? Of taxation of the free play No, it wasn't a problem. We made sure um on our rcms system that we designed the The update so that it would account for the fact that it Ppc is using a different system so it can recognize the differences between the meters coming Coming in so that we know If it's an advantage meter we'll apply this fix so it goes into the right meter if it's an acse It'll just go wherever it falls normally and it it'll match up So, um, that's that's great going forward. I guess that's that's what you're working on But I'm thinking about in the past Was it was it ever a Problem for ppc. I'm wondering it was not because they don't require the patron to seed the bet It's a difference. Yeah, it's it automatically hits his free play the second They download it on there and they spin it automatically steps the free play meter, right? And what about encore boston harbour? They're using a similar version of the idt so this would they basically benefit from mgms request That's what I wondered it would actually apply to encore boston harbour. Have you had conversations with them? Are they anticipating the change? We have okay. We've had it with their With their casino accounting team, and I think bruce has had it with the slots team. Yes so, um I read the memo which and the letter which I think is well articulated. Let me let me see if I get it The bottom line was are we effectively now by moving to these? Cepi Recognizing all of the free play that the patron might be given Upfront Wherever they go and spend it Not what they're given up front just what they play at that machine at that machine. Yeah. Yep And so when they get a balance on their ticket out, for example that may still contain The free play it will go back to their player card basically Okay, and that also is registered if they change to another machine that will be also registered in this new meter Correct in meter correct the same way the same way acsc works right now So you download your free play on there when you pull your card that comes back off And whatever's remaining you can move to the next machine with okay That was one of the options. They actually looked at though just um turning the free play into tickets So that it would just go down and then come off on a ticket But if you lost that ticket versus a player card, it's just it was kind of so I It's very simplified here But the things that the it team with mgm with igt on our central management system and our Technology division went through was very Very deep and you know they came up with three recommendations to us I think it would be helpful if scott and I don't know if you need pria to your side scott But pria's right behind you if they Went through the technical Differences between the options. I know you're recommending a particular option But I like that you've stepped for three options. So If you want to go through it in the way that We can attempt to understand Yeah, no, and I'll um I can keep it very Very high level. So thank you. You're welcome. Absolutely So in option one We had looked at actually Making the change on the host of our system that does a lot of the calculations and such for us But we found that to be a little time consuming and a little expensive So option two that was presented We decided to just make the the change in the meters Assignment so whenever the meters would come in the system would At the site would actually do the Work to change the meter from where it came from originally to the new location So that when it comes onto the host we were the calculations would would match up in the meters would fall Where they're supposed to and that one was the most effective and and one that we knew we could implement in a short timeline and then the third option we gave is to basically do nothing and Tell mgm. Hey, sorry that first But a promo and on board, you know It's it's kind of gone away, but we knew that was uh, that was one that wasn't effective for everybody and and not a little fair to everybody So we put it in there, but um, you know, we really didn't talk too much about it Because the net effect of that option three would be that taxation of the free play Which is not what's intended in the statute or the regulation, right? Correct, correct And just for one other piece the reason we really felt comfortable with number two is it's already being done We're turning one meter In and dropping it into the same meter that basically the acsc Is dropping it into and now just saying instead of directing this meter over there direct that meter over there So we know it works It's It's something that we've kind of feel comfortable with the technology that's already going versus Putting a whole new field into a table onto a billing system that we're not even Have never tested in the past. We'd have to run it through gli's lab So it would take a hash change it would take a lot more and even then We don't really have an experience environment to test it on where we know this other process works So it's fair to say that it's not going to cost us Anything with with the cms modifications Correct, you know any new reporting or new tables that we now have to No, because it's just coding on the on the Mtsc's with them like multi-terminal site Controllers Yeah, what you're basically you've got six of those for every Property, you know, you get up to 300 or 500 300 per per bank Scott i'm going No, so I think it's fair to say that you're very comfortable with this option that it meets our needs And uh, or else you wouldn't be recommending to us that we approve this request. That's correct Yeah, and I just need one clarification because I I'm assuming the same But number one the genesis of number one. Was that the original recommendation out of it? No, that was just one that we thought of you thought of and then decided it was complicated more expensive Number two and you're not giving up anything in terms of effectiveness because of cost Correct. Yeah, this will not affect any performance issues on our our house system or cms system If you're building a system from scratch number one is ideal, right because you there's no conversion You're just putting it straight through. Thank you But we have a already canned system to then go back and try to change a canned system It's easier to just do the conversion. That's really helpful. That's really helpful. Thank you So I'm I'm I'm wondering if this could be a discussion for a little later, but If the licensees are do a credit back on the effective tax that we have tax them for all the free play that Well, the tax currently as you know, it's the cep is not calculating correctly That's why we want to put the cep in And it has cost the licensees additional tax revenue Uh, so for mgm in 2018 In tax revenue, it was 34,000 that they paid in addition to us 2019 was 128,000 in the year to date 2000 was $7,500 We talked from the beginning. Yeah and on core boston harvard 2019 was 103 $1,000 in year to date was $16,000. So it uh, I mean they're aware of it And that is why the discussions have gone on and we want to make this change. So I don't want to I'm sure they're going to request it But this was also the system that they That they approved and implemented here. So, you know, there's there's a there's a good case I would be requesting if I'm on their seats But there's also a case for the come out to say well, it was a system that you recommended and And and it sounds as though that would be something that would come for us at another time And we would give a full analysis. We would have a full analysis, but I think you've raised a fair point The good news is that this has come to our attention and there's corrective action in in terms of the timeline for that corrective action After um, after today, we'll start to work with the um, igt staff that runs that helps run our cms to come up with a Timeline and an implementation plan that that's effective for everybody. Okay, and maybe the board's corrective action aren't really Precise it's requested action And it will address what looks like an issue that they've they've noted and they've asked for some relief and would they A vote today you're looking for that today. So no vote. This is just an update. Um, this is you don't need any Formal action for you to proceed. No, it's an update And the the other piece is we the plan that we do Intend on rolling out is a very slow and deliberate one. We'll start off With Hopefully one mtsc at a time correct at the facilities In hope that over, you know a week to two weeks we'll have all of the machines switched over to reporting the correct way Um, this is one in a precautionary manner. In case there's anything we didn't anticipate that happened We can switch it back after one One bank basically one terminal hits and the second piece is there are going to be a lot of accounting corrections Because it's substituting one meter for a completely other one So you have to snap both of them and then go back and do manual adjustments on our side Um to do the growth gaming calculation So it's going to tax both our accounting team as well as our it team Correct Any questions? No, I think I'm um, you know, very impressed with your handling of all the technological aspects, which you know I can only begin to understand conceptually and but I know that We have a complicated complex not complicated a complex sophisticated system that systems that operate With our cms and I'm glad this was brought to the attention and we're able to Uh corroborate uh and uh and be comfortable with um with what they're requesting So I'm comfortable as well And I just want to point out one one thing before um any other question Once again, I get to sit up here and do the presentation and the talking but the majority of the work was all the these four um individuals in the Our teams um a lot of work um Goes into it to one go out and investigate these issues come back and report on them And then find a solution because the easiest thing would have been just number three Hey, this is what you guys asked for we approved your system um But to actually understand the request see what was going on from the licensees point of view make sure the patrons aren't getting um impacted In a negative manner with any changes I I have to give a lot of credit to the to the collaboration and work over here Agreed that's really apparent how well the team worked together and came up with a workable solution Good work and and what's unique is that this is really cross departmental And so we credit that collaboration we have Finance we've got our our our gaming floor expert bruce bay in there and of course our wonderful it team so It shows a great presentation for us caron to see what's going on on a on a daily basis and operationally Great work. Thank you. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you very much Moving on to item now three see interim executive director wells Yes, thank you, madam chair, so the uh next item on the agenda is An update for the use of casino employee dining rooms. We have been working on this with the casinos So that individuals who work at the casinos in particular the Gaming agents and the state police have the ability to buy at-cost meals at the employee employee dining rooms I I am personally very much in favor of this change to the policy because it recognizes That it's very difficult sometimes to work a 24-7 operation and sometimes the For example, state police may have to work overtime or work a shift and they don't have food And you don't really want them leaving the property At three o'clock in the morning to go look for food a they might not be able to find something And be it's not going to use a good use of your time and see it may not be the safest thing to have our employees off Looking for open restaurants or open places where they can get something to eat at off hours So my recommendation is that the commission adopt the new policy which gives some flexibility it also Given that it requires that the individuals who work they pay for their food So I think it does cover the ethics issue of you know getting gifts or anything As a result of their employment at the gaming commission or at the state police assigned to the property But I think it's really important to recognize that These individuals who work at a 24-7 operation have a different circumstance than we do and it may be more difficult And we just have to acknowledge that What they're doing and make their jobs As easy as possible it in as simple as getting something to eat for dinner or for lunch or for breakfast Have we Spoken with licensees about implementing such a policy and they Have a way of doing this Right um so that people realize I think this was always a bigger perception issue correct um then Just making sure folks know there's no benefit and that they are paying for their meals and that's been worked out Yes, and uh, I will commend executive director bedrosion had been working on this with the licensees for for quite some time So I just want to bring that to fruition We will work out the fine details on you know the payment and all that But it was a little complicated to to make sure that there was a um a fair way to be Charged at fair market value and not get some additional benefit. So that that worked out In in in practice, I certainly agree having worked those kinds of shifts. I know that that is always a difficult situation so um Yeah, I would agree as long as the system is in place so that So that everyone on both ends understand and Abide by the policy No, I would agree having been at encore right before the opening and witness firsthand How much of an effort it was to just keep enough Food and drink there to keep everybody going in on the floor. I think this strikes an appropriate balance in terms of Ethics safety and just efficacy of making sure people can get what they need to do their job. I think it's appropriate Same here, I'm all in favor for this on this just a clarification Employees can also go elsewhere to the normal Not the not just the employee dining room, but All the other outlets if they so yes and Mr. Grossman the legal team reviewed that it's the issue is the at-cost so that they Basically don't get an enhanced benefit don't have a benefit from the discount Of the meal, but they may go to the other restaurants even if there's a cafeteria present yeah, we Enhanced code of ethics allows employees to purchase food at those type of establishments at the posted menu prices To ensure that there's no gift no unwarranted privilege anything of that nature This wasn't addressed in the enhanced code and that's the the reason for this particular policy That's an interesting clarification Um Go right ahead. Well, I suspect they'll be availing themselves of the cafeteria due to the costs out at These facilities Well, I you know, maybe it's Dunkin Donuts, right? Yeah Yeah slice may not be the same as Ready and I think it at Plainville. They have a very limited in-house dining option, correct Plainville does not have it done. Well, they have they have a cafeteria with machines That you could purchase something from a machine, but that's what I'm saying very limited So to be clear under the enhanced code ethics current version Any employee can go to any Dining establishment and pay cost currently under the current law I think there may have been some hint of discouragement from On that because of the perception issue that um commissioner Cameron just raised So we're hearing that again as a reminder under the current ethics, uh, Enhanced code of ethics under It's really a regulation of sorts They may go to those this clarifies that for where there is a cafeteria We have two facilities that have a employee cafeteria. They may now go and receive The Not the benefit of the employee discount or they may receive that No, so that's you've you've just may avail themselves of the cafeteria Somehow the at cost somehow the cafeteria was not included under the code of ethics That's right. The issue with the cafeteria is that either there may not be posted menu prices The prices would be highly subsidized or the meals may be offered for free for free We couldn't allow any of that So that's why it wasn't covered in the enhanced code but In a situation like this if we can ensure that our employees are paying fair market value and not gaining any benefit That the employees at the casino would get Then it wouldn't violate any of the state conflict of interest laws or our rules against receiving gifts by way of background We were uh advised that These would essentially be the same prices that some of their vendors would pay when they come in In the back of the house to eat in their cafeterias We actually have documentation from MGM and uh on core as to the market prices in this situation Okay, could you refresh my memory didn't our original policy say that you could purchase an item But then not sit in the restaurant and consume that item So our initial policy didn't address this at all what we did Now this is dating back a year or two when the commission amended the enhanced code You'll recall was said you could actually purchase food at these outlets at posted menu prices Provided that you're mindful of the appearance Of this so that you can buy it, but you really shouldn't Sit there and eat it or certainly go into a restaurant and you know Take a table and you know that whole thing But that if you take it back to our office or what have you and you paid for it, then that's okay So this is why there is some confusion. I Did understand that there was a perception issue And that's why people our gaming agents might choose not to avail themselves of buying Anything at the restaurants and that's why We were concerned about them going off premises At three in the morning now, maybe some of the restaurants are closed and there aren't as many choices at that hour But what we're hearing today is that if they Buy market value at any of the uh restaurants on site And they bring their meals back to the Dedicated space for the gaming commission. We don't have concerns about an appearance issue Is that fair? Yeah So they have those choices and then They now will have the option for the two cafeterias to Have a price list and be able to to pay fair market value That's right. And as miss wells pointed out I think the devil will be in the details. We'll have to work out the As commissioner cameron also mentioned how this will actually work And what the process will be and all of that but in principle Obviously the commission has to be comfortable with that. Well, and then the next question I would have is Do we want to also encourage our employees to take the food From the cafeteria to the To the mgc Premises on site. I don't think you have quite the appearance issue though because I think both of the dining halls are back at the house Well, I think that I've heard that there might be an appearance issue But I'm not sure I'm not sure I would agree it's an appearance issue to have the regulator sitting with employees So do we need to discuss that now the reason why I'm drilling down a little bit is that There seems to be a lack of clarity for our our folks out there And I think today is a good day to just give You know very clear guidance as to what we feel is really a true risk of abuse of our position That's what we're looking at here. What is the risk of the abuse of our position? And appearances could could create that risk And so we're assessing really what the risk is and giving guidance so that they don't feel uncomfortable Making a purchase or they are directed to to make a purchase elsewhere So bruce uh commissioner stephens. Do you have some thoughts on this that You've seen over the years when you visited the various sites. Yeah, I it's you know, I'm first of all, I'm in Favor of the policy. I think you know, it's it it is addressing a A certain situation, right? We're really thinking about our overnight folks folks working your shift or they can't run out and Grab something if that was an option. I certainly agree that It's better to have our team on site as opposed to off site uh, you know, I Feel comfortable if we gave some direction at this point as we kind of roll this out as we're incorporating this and giving the employees the option to encourage them to Go back to our space Um, you know, again, I think the original idea was we didn't want to have a gaming employee sitting at chandlers having a nice steak dinner Eating it there Because it did it could Raise appearance issues. I would just say for now for the for the kind of initial startup period Obviously the food options are available, but you know, encourage staff to To take it back to You know the conference room space or our dedicated space, you know, just Just to be cautious from the cafeteria from the cafeteria The employee dining room I'm not as concerned with that appearance. I I think, you know It might actually defeat a little bit of the purpose of trying to be efficient with the time. I know it's not the same Uh as having to go off premises, but I I um, I think, you know, people have to exercise judgment as to the situation in which they how they interact with other employees And that's true not just for that that has been true already for how we interact with The people that we regulate so I'm I'm I'm comfortable with both the policy as it states as and also offering the guidance that Simply exercise judgment, but from my perspective, it's fine to to eat it there because There's those facilities are available You making a distinction between the employee dining room and say at ppc They go to dunk and donuts and get something not that's correct eating in the public the distinction here And I and I want to be Clear. Yes, the the appearance in the public about a steak dinner at Chandler's is very different from what we're talking about In the enhanced code of ethics continues to have that guidance. I in my opinion should uh as to you know Purchasing a food On those outlets that are open to the public I would say that in terms of the rollout one of the other things to reinforce in addition to the enhanced code of ethics And the public versus the back of house Is just being mindful of what you talk about You know, it's like being in a courthouse and chatting in the elevator about a case and you really shouldn't do it So to the the the only added risk I think in behavior in terms of back of house cafeteria is While it may be more, you know less formal and you may not be there with the public Please remember this is these are not your employees. These are not your co-workers and just be mindful of what you're talking about So part of the rollout probably just a reinforcement of behaviors in that regard I agree. That's my point about judgment exercising Had the team contemplated this Um director wells, well the the language in the in the proposal is that mgc employees will be permitted to eat their meal On the licensees employee cafeteria or dining room space So the way we'd set it up. They were permitted to get it and eat it there If you want it different well, but did you just Was there any concern about that when this was the I think the thinking of the Time was that It was the back of the house and there's not that public perception that people are getting free food from the casinos and therefore were somewhat compromised I guess was there any discussion around the the regulator sitting with the employees? Was there a discussion about that? I don't I don't know We did we did talk about that But you know, we were drawing a line between People sitting out in the public and where everyone can see and maybe wonder whether they paid for it or not in a more controlled environment where Perhaps everyone would know that employees and employees of the gaming commission pay a certain rate or what have you It seemed to be less of a risk and less of an appearance issue and that's why we Suggested that it's okay that there's no appearance or less of an appearance issue But ultimately as you've identified it is of course up to the commission to decide what your comfort level is I don't think it's a legal Matter at that point. It's really a matter of judgment and what the appearance is Do you want to add a line? to the policy around that where The exercise of judgment or do you want to just have it be in the rollout? No, I think the rollout and also because the overall enhanced code still encourages people in terms of if there is any Appearance of impropriety potential to take it back to your own space So in terms of the rollout saying you can do this. It's fine. They're you know, however, if you are at a circumstance even there That you're encouraged to sort of take it back But that to me, I'm not so sure I'd codify it in this language so much as just in the rollout reiterate it That's where I'm coming. I think I think you raise a good point I think it just kind of mirrors The practice that our employees engage in every day, right? They understand the relationship as a regulator with a regular T But you know, they're mindful of the conversations that they have whether it's on the gaming floor or elsewhere So, you know just to to reinforce that sensitivity again if they're going to be In and around You know our licensees employees that they remain sensitive to they're sensitive to it already. It's just kind of reaffirming that if they're going to be take, you know Using the employee dining room or any back any back to house space Absolutely, and I would just Point out as you know, we have our annual ethics training and this is an issue that comes up every year We are always sure to address this matter and Oftentimes we've got a lot of questions about what you can and can't do but We can maybe even beef up that section of the training a little more this year with the addition of this policy and maybe even Circulate this policy office-wide so everyone's aware That it's now part of the personnel manual anticipating what your vote may be here And just point point that out Commissioner Cameron now, I guess I would be Of course rolling through my head or all the incidents I know about in the past where folks have gotten themselves in trouble in public restaurants and So I I would just yeah, if we roll it out in a way that people are reminded About their responsibilities that they are You know, they have oversight for those folks that are sharing that dining facility I think that would be an important piece and And that we're expecting them to behave professionally and if we find there are instances where they don't we could revisit this So in this instance, we are asked to Adopt us formally through a vote I think I would just add I had been very eager to see this policy adopt adopted because I do think it's essential for us to ensure fair and safe access to food and That's the priority with respect to The perceptions of where we dine I do recognize that our employees are in the public setting In all forms and fashions and not just when they're eating and so we we do expect All of our employees to exercise that professionalism And so to the extent it's helpful to give that guidance, perhaps even in the rollout language I'm I'm comfortable with the way that the policy is written here All right, I can take care of that So um, so madam chair, I would move that uh to amend the commission's personal manual to include the mgc employee and gaming enforcement unit casino dining policy As discussed here today and as included in the commissioners packet subject to any grammatical or immaterial changes Second Any further discussion? Just a big thank you to for the work Thank you And carry and and Todd and Karen. Thank you. All those in favor I opposed Five zero. Thank you So that concludes section three Thank you very much. So as I mentioned at the beginning of the meeting we'll we'll go back to item number two And that's uh commissioners devins on the approval of the minutes, please Sure, madam chair in your packet. We have the meeting minutes from the february 27 2020 meeting out in springfield I'd move the approval of the minutes is always subject to correction for any typographical errors or any other non-material matters second Before we adopt any edits questions comments Excellent All those in favor I opposed Five zero. Thank you. Sharer excellent job Moving on to item number four on buttsman. Siamba Welcome Welcome Good morning chair and commissioners on the agenda today Are the quarterly reports for the fourth quarter of 2019 ending on december 31st 2019 for plain ridge park in oncourt bosson harbour Although the focus of the reports will be on the fourth quarter activities As mentioned by the chair we have asked each of them to provide some information on their coronavirus Preparations So why don't we dial them up up first? We ask plain ridge park to present its quarterly report Representing plain ridge park For their quarterly report will be Dana fortney vice president of finance Mike Muller vice president of operations kathy lucas vice president of human resources and lisa mckinney compliance manager So I just wanted to go over a little bit of what we what we did to try to Ensure this this goes as smoothly as possible What we said is that we would before making the phone call We would call them up to make sure that they were there aware that they knew That once they answered the phone that they would be live that they should be in a quiet room And that they should indicate speaking welcome plain ridge park Thank you Great. So I was just going over some of the Some of the measures that we took to ensure that this goes as smoothly as possible. Thank you for being there and taking the call So with that, let me turn it over to plain ridge park to begin its presentation Before we started just a good morning to all of you and Thank you for Thank you for we're just still working on mechanics here. Just thank you for your remote participation I tried to imagine what it would feel like today. I guess it is truly phoning a friend. So we appreciate um You're providing this remotely and appreciate that Again, the report was done in timely fashion given this very Critical time. We know that you folks have been very busy addressing the coronavirus, but you are also Making sure to fulfill the statutory obligations under 23k to report to us today. So thank you Mr. Sina Fortney, thank you, madam chair We're happy to be here today and we appreciate being permitted to Present remotely before we begin with our quarterly presentation. I would like to introduce Greg DeMarco He is our director of security and risk. He's going to provide a short statement on our initiatives relating to COVID-19 Hello, Greg DeMarco director of security madam chair and commissioners Plain Ridge Park Casino is committed to providing a safe and clean environment to our guests and team members In relations to COVID-19 virus. We continue to closely monitor information from our local public health as well as the center for disease control Currently the casino and public areas are cleaned on an increase cleaning rotation We have ensured that all team members are following safe sanitation protocols as well as frequent hand washing In addition, the following items have been implemented for further guest safety Increased fresh air circulation More frequent public restrooms cleaning rotation Additional sanitation stations Increased sanitation of door handles and gaming devices Increased communication awareness training at the property Continue awareness amongst the team members regarding cleanliness and sanitation for example hand washing Sanitation of menus after each guest used in all our food and beverage venues Additional carpet cleaning More frequent cleaning of elevator buttons Added communication on our property website and social media These communication provides leads and references to mass department of health and CDC We continue to share best practice with our sister properties as well with our fellow licensees We are committed to working with the public health agencies and we'll adjust our efforts as necessary With that i'm turning back the presentation to dna 40 vp of finance Thank you, Greg. This is dana again before we move on to the presentation I wanted to give a moment to see if anyone had any questions No, okay moving straight into Page two of our presentation This morning as we mentioned i have mike new are vp of operations as well as capi lucas vp of human resources So to page two gaming revenue and taxes We have a lot of information on this slide go draw your eyes to the second row For the fourth quarter of 2019 plain much generated over 32 million in slot revenue and taxes paid came in just under 16 million The year-over-year decline in revenue of 8 million for the fourth quarter is driven by continued impact of anchor boston harbour As we've mentioned the property anticipated this opening and the decline in revenues has not changed our operation Slide three is lottery sales Looking at the second to last year of the table lottery sales came in at 9 or 794,000 for the fourth quarter of 2019 Similar to slot revenue lottery sales were down year-over-year by 74,000 or 8.5 percent We anticipate this trend to continue with changes in gaming revenue. However, we are very pleased with the results from 2019 Slide four is our spend by state for the fourth quarter In-state spend was 962,000 or 53 percent down slightly from the third quarter But in line with 2019 as a whole The remaining spend for the quarter split amongst the states on the right Overall qualified spend was up 260,000 from q3 to q4 which impacted our percentages The change in qualified spend is due to the timing of our capital-related project of which we have two large projects that were paid in the fourth quarter Slide five is our spend by state for the year of 2019 In-state spend was 3.44 million or 53 percent Down from 2018 total in-state spend of 5.07 million or 74 percent The variance is applicable to the change of our primary food provider from Cisco to ussus earlier in 2019 Which is now included in the new hampshire spend Overall qualified spending decreased by 5.2 percent The next slide is our local spend for the fourth quarter In-state versus local spend shows a slight decrease from the third quarter of 23,000 However in line with the second quarter spend of 77,000 The third quarter helps in one time expenses relating to our transition of our loyalty program Which we are able to utilize a vendor from Mansfield for some of that work Slide seven is our local spend for all of 2019 Annual local spend came in at 9 percent for 322,000 A couple of great stories to highlight on this slide in 2018 We partnered with Bristol construction at a rentem to redo the roof banner barns Since then they've become a great vendor for us. They've completed Multiple projects such as the renovation of our confession stand out on the race in apron and the construction of a shed at the Worcester Taylor entrance Also to highlight is Matt graphics at the Mansfield who has also been a great partner since opening doing a large amount of our banners and indoor signage I will now pass the presentation over to Mike Mueller And any questions on these slides so far before we transition Um, I'm sorry. One just uh quick one Dana. What was your overall local spending in 2018? It let me grab that number for you It was around the 700,000 mark It included Multiple large projects that were one time projects in that year. Like I mentioned the re-roofing of our barns for racing as well as A capital project of our fake hit room Where we added boost solar power shades and a few other items All right. Thank you Any other questions for Dana right now? Thank you Dana. We'll we'll come back to you if they have additional questions. Thank you You're welcome This is Mike Mueller vice president of operations moving on to the next slide. We will look at vendor diversity For q4 we met our diversity spend goal of 21 percent While we missed slightly in the wbe and mbe categories for the quarter we exceeded our goal in veteran set For wbe we had seven partners that had yet to complete their registration under the new definitions Since this had not been completed as of the end of q4 We could not attribute any of those spends to our q4 numbers thereby leading us short of our goal However, we are actively working with these companies to ensure their certifications for q1 moving to the next slide Can I just for you today? I'm sorry. Can I just stop for a moment? This is commissioner brian If those vendors were wbe certified, what would the percentage be? I right now. I don't have the exact number. I can get that for you from our procurement person. Okay. Thank you For year today to 2019 we exceeded our goals in every category with wbe coming in at 16 percent on a goal of 12 percent mbe came in at 7 percent on a goal of 6 percent And veteran was at 5 percent on a goal of 3 for a total diversity spend of 28 percent on a goal of 21 for 2019 I would just take a moment and congratulate you mike and elie and the whole team for surpassing your goals in 2019 Thank you. We appreciate it And this is chair judstein. I I also echo that I do want to return to the earlier slide though because if The explanation is certifications. I understand but I cannot remember and I did not have the chance to look back at the Slide from the third quarter Is the trend that we see for the fourth quarter? Is it is it a trend? Is Or do you think that? Uh The results for the fourth quarter are an anomaly because it looks like we might be turning down We feel that when we get these uh companies to certify that we'll be able to utilize those spends and it will come back into these categories And that's across the board for all all three categories Mainly just the wbe and the mbe. Okay. I know we're doing well with the bbe Thank you. Well, we'll look forward to the the next quarter report And and and if you um, I'm assuming that you are getting help from the proper state Offices for the certification process Yes, okay, and of course we have internally jill griffin director Uh griffin who could be of um assistance as well Thank you Thank you We'll be gone to the next slide We're looking at a new diverse spend slide where we have shown some decreases in q4 as compared to q3 of 2019 As you can see from the bottom line our qualified spend increased over a quarter a million from q3 q4 Mainly due to some capital projects that were completed in q4 For wbe, we saw our total spend dropped to $39,770 or 17 4 4 percent Again to to the definitions that we just discussed on the previous slide For mbe, we also saw a drop in the quarter of 48,664 In the past we've previously accepted any states mbe certifications But now under the new mbe definitions We only accept those recognized by the greater new england minority supplier development council or by The supplier diversity office Again not being able to accept those spend so that fell outside of this new definition has led to to the decline in the mbe category And as stated earlier, uh, we're still working with these mbe companies to obtain their proper certifications for q1 Next slide is compliance Looking at compliance in three months of q4. We had 13,963 ib checks of those ib checks we had a total of 373 patrons that were prevented from entering Of those 373 18 were minors of 77 were underage and the remaining 278 had either an expired ib an invalid ib or no ib We did have one minor that gained access to the floor for a total of six minutes and 48 seconds in october And they did not gain Again, uh, this is commissioner cameron. Those those numbers are always strong with your property. So I I really do commend you for the work you do here and You know, that's even that's six minutes and 48 seconds for the one minor. So really really good work and You know good by the whole team to keep those numbers so low or usually we have zero. So that's very good work And i'm turning to commissioner cameron and commissioner o'brien for your expertise, but With respect to the Presentation of expired or invalid id's. Do you think that the number decreasing is because the word is getting out or? I I suspect it's it's two things. Yes, I do think young people will test a property and the word will get around Hey, we got in you can get in But I also think in particular with this property. They do a very good job at at really Their enforcement efforts. They're they're checking. They're they're they're really Just vigilant with this particular issue and it demonstrates. So quarter after quarter and their numbers You know also the location I mean many more colleges in in the boston area and this in the springfield area much bigger properties So we understand that as well But I know that they put a great effort here and it it pays off We do appreciate that. Thank you Moving on to the next slide We're going to touch on some marketing events that we had in q4 Some of our highlights included in arabian knights have themed a new year's eve event for our guests We also hosted a patriots game day experience for some of our top players We also work with the mgc the lottery the massachusetts council of compulsive gambling and the massachusetts partnership On responsible gaming to provide gifts to needy children for the holidays that benefit of the toys for tots organization Actually, I missed that slide. I apologize We're going to go to local community. That's what's up there right now Uh in q4 we continue to support our local community through a donation to the dub fleeting junior foundation for autism And we donated school supplies to the north adalboro ymta We also held a community blood drive for the american red cross at our facility And finally we made monetary donations to the north pantry in north adalboro and to the town of mansfield Now to the final slide of marketing Yeah, in addition to the things that I just touched on We also had nessen's dining playbook on property Where local hosts billy costa and jenny johnson came to review both of our pludives sports pub And our slacks oyster house and grill for their television show Happen to really like that show Any any questions or comments for this presentation and these last two slides are on the earlier slides Okay, with that i'm going to pass it over to kathy lucas to finish up Good morning everyone. So we're going to reference the employment slides All employees referenced in this slide were current as of q4 2019 During the quarter we had 485 team members employed We exceeded our diversity goal of 15 percent in q4 At 20 at 26 percent We use our referral program along with this. We're attending actually the Job there's that we were attending The math higher job there is on 312 and eastern and 324 have been canceled as of this morning We're going to look for the postponement date. So we will be attending those when we get the new day We exceeded our veterans goal of two percent in q4 2019 at five percent We held a veteran's job fair on property and we also offered the applicants quick processing and lunch at pludives Who attended that job fair? We had five candidates come through And of those five we hired one We're attending the greater boston veterans job fair on march 26th at jillett stadium We remain steady with our woman's goal of 50 percent in q4 2019 at 40 percent We're focused on attracting women by partnering with organizations like women's link Where we hosted a networking mention for 60 women at the property We also partnered with alpha kappa alpha the first two were already founded by african-american women providing them sponsorship for their job fair which had 2800 members and was also open to the community attracting an additional 500 people We are consistent with our recruiting for our local goal of 35 percent in q4 at 32 percent This includes outer borough fox borough mansville north outer borough plainville and renzen We'll go to the next slide This is the first time we're reporting out this information to the group I would tell you our focus on developing women at the supervisor level and above for women leading at 10 An external recruitment is incredibly important because we'd like to see the 39 percent increase To go to the next slide. I'll share some of the things that we're working on for that In q4 women leading At 10 focus was on navigating the workforce We focused on effective coaches and using the pen gaming model We helped our managers set expectations with their team members focused on how to coach effectively and then provide Encouraged or corrected behavior When we talk about redirecting behavior We gave these managers the opportunity to discover why people would go wrong Identify some of the challenges help you change and encourage better behaviors Or women leading at 10 in 2018. We had 16 participants in 2019. We had 14 participants In 2019 eight of our participants were promoted Or are in more complex roles at ppc In 2019 we also had two of our participants transfer within the pen organization For 2020 we are currently recruiting and we have invited 17 team members to participate in the program along with us and sponsors Dana Michelle and I Our focus for 2019 will be on performance manager helping our women leaders With managing their teams and reflective coaching mentoring and positive intent with their teams Kathy can I stop? Yes, this is commissioner cameron. I know that this this this program started under your predecessor I love this program. I did get a chance to speak to a lot of the young women and the most Impressive thing I heard was These young women and this was the first year of the program by the way Say I I couldn't see myself as a supervisor and because of this program I can now see myself and I know that I can do it. I know I can reach that next level And so that was really an important message that they were receiving and the encouragement to To strive to to take a new position and to to get yourself prepared to be successful in that new position so I just want to commend you and your team for this program and I'm sure you can see that the the results are there Absolutely, absolutely. And as we look at the programs for 2020 Our introduction to some new members has been Well received so while we'll have a couple of folks that are continuing with us We're excited that we have new team members that are joining us for development And they can obviously look at you and and see that it's possible to You know achieve at the highest levels and to to continue focusing on moving up in their career So really good work. Thanks Thank you Kathy this is Kathy, I'm sorry. Yep. Kathy. This is commissioner stevens also just to echo the congrats on the success of women leading at Penn And for including the new slide I did note under your all employees slide previously It's changed a little bit since the last quarter You guys used to provide a breakout of number of full time and number of employees and broken it out by full and part time Um of the 485 Do you have a breakout of what full time and part time numbers were? Uh, I can provide that to you Along with the information that we have to provide from a previous slide We we got the slide change. So we didn't update that number, but we do definitely have that information for you Okay, um, I usually look I did not have a chance to do it this morning, but how many how many current openings do you guys have posted? Yeah, I want to say we probably have about 22 posted positions and of that maybe About 15 might be in the supervisory or above category Okay, um and one last question Kathy. I know you mentioned some Uh Recruitment and job fairs being postponed. I know there's an active effort down in The foxboro rentham plainville area to try to recruit folks Who are using commuter rail that with the extended service down to foxboro there might be an opportunity to Increase some of your job recruitment in the greater boston area and maybe catch people in reverse commute Do you are you aware of those efforts and if if you are do you have any updates as to how that effort's going? Yeah, absolutely. My team has been working with a small core group of folks that are Are um working on the the reverse commute program. We've attended Two conference calls and then uh collin burns One of our team members attended it in person meaning I want to say Earlier in February, so it's it's a work in progress We're excited if it allows us to open our candidate pool to A group of people that normally would not look at look at us The I guess I would say one of the the biggest barriers Is that most of the candidates that would be looking for the? Reverse commute program are looking at manager level and above so That would provide a smaller set scale of of roles and opportunities But we're still excited to to have it as a pipeline for candidates. Okay, and we're excited by the fact that you know You know you town of plainville town of rentham and town of foxboro continue to work together and Some regional strategies around workforce development tourism. So I appreciate that update Kathy. Thank you absolutely This is uh mike muller again. I do have one update to commissioner bryan's question on our q4 diversity spend earlier Uh, we were able to pull some data and if we were able to utilize our Affiliates that were not Certified that if we were able to use that money the wbe spend for the quarter within 12 percent Which would have met our goal and the mbe spend would have been seven percent, which is would have exceeded our goal Well, I say thank you for the numbers and I also Upload you for how quickly you were able to pull it together. I appreciate it Well, thank that's one of the benefits of being here at the property And thank you life for us too. Good point. Yeah Thank you and it clarifies my question too that it sounds as though it truly is in a trend So we appreciate you're getting right back No problem. Thank you Great. I think that concludes plain ridge park's report. We thank you very much for for participating In our new format for today Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you Thank you Yeah, we're going to take just um while we're getting uh folks on the line We'll take a five minute break. No no mary and you can get them on the line But we'll take a five minute break during that time. Thank you so much we're I'll say awesome. Thank you. We're reconvening our public meeting number 291 Back to on budsman zamba Chair and commissioners we next turn to the quarterly report for encore boston harbour Here with us today telephonically is jackie crumb senior vice president and general counsel for Encore boston harbour. Welcome jackie Jackie before you begin. I just this is um, chair jet stein I just want to thank you and the entire team at encore boston harbour for Meeting with us in this virtual fashion You know your flexibility and cooperation means a great deal We also want to respect the fact that we know that you have been very very busy dealing with coronavirus and You've also fulfilled The operational obligations that your team has to report to us quarterly And uh despite all the challenges that are going around And we just want to express our gratitude. So thank you Thank you, madam chair and uh, good morning. Oh, almost good afternoon commissioners Just like you we are obviously closely monitoring the new developments regarding covet 19 We have implemented several new policies and procedures which follow the recommendations from both cdc and dph In addition, we've engaged in outside consultants. Dr. Rebecca catz Who's the director of the center for global health and science and security at georgetown university medical center Uh, dr catz is advising us on best practices Communication is obviously paramount and we are in constant communication with our employees to reinforce our sanitation safety Sanitization safety procedures in both guest facing and back of house areas We are sanitizing high traffic public areas at an increased frequency Some of the some of the things that we have implemented recently are hand sanitizers are located throughout The public and back of house locations. They are refilled and checked regularly All public touch points such as handrails elevator buttons telephones faucets door handles knots are cleaned multiple times throughout the day We are also cleaning surfaces such as the front desk restaurant counters and dining tables The casino gaming floor slot machines are wiped and surfaces are cleaned on an hourly basis throughout the day All of our gaming supplies chips dice cards are cleaned refreshed or discarded on an ongoing basis throughout each day Uh, in addition to these measures, we've also established established some special, uh, precautionary measures For example, we have started to take the temperature of guests who are exhibiting signs of illness coughing sneezing sweating, etc With their permission, we are discreetly taking their temperatures And asking guests with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher To leave our property and and we encourage them to seek medical attention for further screening or treatment Our food and beverage operation will continue to hold itself to the highest standards of hygiene and food handling practices We employ an in-house director of health and food safety who works closely with the city of Everett health inspector to ensure these standards are outheld during this time All departments have implemented hand washing or sanitizing procedures to take place multiple times during each employee's shift All in all uncle Boston Harbor employees are prohibited from reporting to work with the respiratory illness. They can be transmitted to others Uh, employees insured by the company have access to health care who have access to health care many of whom Also have access to a 24 hour telemedicine provider Finally, we've established a website on cold boston info.com to provide updated information to both our employees As well as our guests in a timely manner Do you have any questions about any of those procedures? Um, Jackie, this is commissioner stevens on your on your new website. Are you informing guests that if for any reasons they're susceptible or Experience an illness that you can tell them off the website where I'm sure you have other information for patrons Please don't come Uh, we are we're constantly revising our website. I don't believe that's up in our website currently But that is something that we're we're considering and revising our website to reflect as we get new information. Okay. Thank you So moving on to the quarterly report Uh, gaming revenue taxes and lottery sale On our gaming revenue. Um, you can see that there is month over month growth For october we were at um a total of 11.4 in november 11.8 Sorry, this is on the massachusetts state state taxes and december was 13.5 So increasing growth um over months months over months Moving on to lottery sales. Um, we uh, we had 257,000 uh in october 207,000 in november and 236,000 in december for a total of seven, uh seven hundred and one thousand Over the last quarter we're continuing to monitor the results to determine if changes should be implemented on compliance, um On the first slide the miners prevented from gaming Uh during the month of october we intercepted and prevented 15 miners from gaming november 17 and in december 9 for a total of 41 And uh while I realized that this is this is the fourth quarter report, uh, just a sneak peek into february Um, we had zero miners on the gaming floor Good work Thank you Our team is working hard at it So, uh, you'd asked us uh previously to break down How many miners were intercepted at the slot machine table consuming alcohol? Number of ids not checked that resulted in the gaming floor and number of fake ids provided So those, uh, those statistics are presented on the next slide One of the things that we're very much focused on is uh that fault category the number of ids that are not checked Because that is obviously something that's completely within our within our control So we're trying very hard to push that number down Jack you could that point. This is jared judstein. Are you providing uh targeted training? How are you going to address that? Yes, yes So we we constantly provide training uh to the security team encouraging them to check ids And to run ids even if there's a Assault that somebody might be on a threshold We also have implemented enhanced procedures for checking fake ids so that um that Number may increase but we see that as is actually a positive Because we'll be catching more And then on the uh miners intercepted a table as you can see that that number went down in december We did see an increase in the miners intercepted the slot machine So we've increased the patrol of slot machine areas and we think the miner intercepted Gaming at tables decreased as a result of some of the training Now our dealers are checking more frequently as well Moving on to uh operating spend Um, so what we did here was we provided our third and fourth quarter and broke those down and then also our total 2019 spend I would Obviously, this is only half a year because we we opened uh june 23rd. So, um You know, this isn't reflective of of an entire year, but I think we are proud of our goals. We exceeded the spend our annual goals in both the minority business and the veterans business We do still have some work to do in the woman's business enterprises where we'd like to get That 10 percent up to our goal or exceed our goal of 14 percent Moving on to the next slide, which is our operating spend to the local level again, this only reflects six months and One of one of the things that we thought might be valuable The next round is to let you know what we did pre opening even though that's not a requirement of this report because we obviously purchased a lot of A lot of supplies Pre-opening that are not reflected in these uh in these total spends and these annual amounts of our total fourth quarter spend 16.5 Million or 58 percent of our spend was attributable attributable to businesses in massachusetts And we're continuing to look at opportunities to grow this on uh employment We have a total of 4,421 employees That's the figure that's the current figure as of march 6 And the breakdown between full time and part time is 75 percent to 25 percent And on the next slide the diversity of the employees We have goals of 40 percent for minorities, which we've exceeded at 54 percent Three percent for veterans, which we've met and 50 percent for women, which we are continuing to work on Which is currently at 43 percent Uh local jackie. Can I jackie? This is uh commissioner cameron. Can I stop you there when you say you continue to work on it? Um, can can you do you have an example of efforts to improve in that area? Yes, so what we're doing right now is as we go through applications that we have for current job openings We're looking uh, we're looking more closely at the woman who's applied for those jobs. We're also Sending our recruitment teams to continue we're asking our recruitment teams to continue partnering with Some of the local organizations that have been very helpful in terms of feeding women Woman to us in the recruiting channel Okay, thank you jackie, this is commissioner stephens just a quick follow-up question as it relates to uh The bartenders that were in transition has everybody's Situation been resolved Everybody's situation has been resolved thank you yeah on The local hire we had a goal of 75 percent and we are at 87 uh, Moving forward to supervises and about so we broke it out not just our employees, but One of the things that we're very focused on is making sure that we have representation at the higher levels of the company Employees as well as the general population So again there, um, we had a goal of 40 percent for minority and we're at 52 Of veterans we have a goal of three percent and we're five percent Woman, uh, we're at our goal was 50 percent and we're at 40 percent. So we've got a 10 percent 10 percent deficit on that which we which we're striving to make up Excellent job with uh minorities in supervisory positions Thank you, uh, so moving on to marketing and entertainment updates These are some examples of the, uh, public promotions that we had in october november and december We continue to have an extremely robust schedule of promotions. We've uh continuing into into the new year We've had we've had uh, we've sort of changed it up a little bit And We're finding that um, we're able to bring in a ton of people on our promotional days That people lined lined up around the casino to pick up a copper pot So Moving into the marketing and entertainment updates. We've had a few events over the fourth quarter We had the b-52s who performed our halloween bash and we had a sold-out performance of straight note chaser in december Um on our new year as the eve party we had a uh, it was an invited event It was an incredible event. Um, I think people Really are looking forward to coming back for 2021 as on the next slide We uh, we wanted to show you our brand new food truck that has been set up on the casino floor The food truck has been a huge success. Um, a lot of our patrons really like the The pricing and the offerings and they can get in and out of eating fairly quickly So that's right in the middle of our slot things And uh, really has done very well as previously discussed. We rolled out a new tiered card program. So, uh, now we have um Differences, uh, which match which match the market, uh, we found This has been hugely successful in promoting Our card program on a community impact Jackie before we continue I mean, um, you you mentioned the copper pot and Uh, that actually was a very, uh, strategic Uh decision to do the free offerings. Um, the history dictates that that can catch the attention of Of our guests besides the copper pot Is there another prize that Was a winner The cars are always a great, uh promotion people love coming for those. Uh, that was fun and Yeah, the toaster ovens strangely were We're a future too. I was going to mention that I was at the casino when they were giving away toaster ovens And it it's remarkable. Every other person had one or two Yeah They were holding it for whoever else was not there and um It was really something to see just the amount of um Of people at 11 a.m. Um, you know With a toaster oven toaster ovens. Yeah, and when we ran out of the toaster ovens, it was quite disappointing to a lot of people Well, we appreciate all the strategies and I also appreciated the the nice coverage that the food truck got in the media And we have another food truck that, um, just arrived So, um, we're going to be rolling that one out soon as well Is the um food of choice for that second truck That's the secret so far. Oh Stay tuned to mr. Cameron to be announced. Okay, very good. Thank you Great, thank you Sure, and on the community impact update we uh continue to Uh promote volunteerism and our employees did a fantastic job In the fourth quarter we did a city thong 5k Uh, we did another promotion which was pie in the sky where we uh cooked and delivered pies Then we did a Thanksgiving meal preparation And one of the biggest uh events that we had um, and if you if you move forward to the uh packed 83 000 meals for local food banks This was an event that we did in december 3rd and we did this in conjunction with our, um Properties in los vegas as well as mcow. So it was a it was a event called feed the funnel And our employees it was a great event. We all ran about packages for 83 000 meals for local food banks In december we did a big toy donation And the last slide just features some of the highlights from uh, 2019 Which was 6 625 community service hours, which exceeded our goals uncle boston harbour particularly given that we were in an opening period Uh, we had 83 volunteer events in communities We gave it's actually it's over 2.5 million to local charitable organizations and we partnered with 133 local nonprofit organizations Jackie, this is uh commissioner stephens. Um Tell me a little bit more about how when you say you're partnering with a 133 non-profit organization What does that involvement include? If you can give an example includes uh funding some of it we help them with their events Some of them we've given them space in the hotel to host events Others we've donated to uh silent auctions or auctions that a particular charity may be doing And some of them are volunteer events. So we've done a lot of on-property volunteer events So people can stop by on their lunch break You know do a volunteer event for an hour whether it's uh writing cards to um our military personnel or Putting together packages to deliver to local hospitals So those are the kinds of events that we've done and and partnership Thank you Jackie this is commissioner o'brien if I could take you back to the compliance area the miners on the gaming floor there First a request going forward with the quarterlies if you could break down 18 to 21 compared to under the age of 18 when you're talking about your stats that would be helpful Check and then um talk to me about the three hour five minute uh episode So that episode um just trying to One second flip back to that slide Um, let me get you information about that episode in in particular Okay, i'm assuming that's why your average is so long that that might have skewed for this quarter Exactly Exactly, so i'll i'll figure out That particular one and i'll make i'll we can have that report to our Following report if you'd like we can also provide it to you in the interim. Okay. Thank you Any further questions for jackie excellent commissioners, uh zeneca looks right. Thank you Good luck with all your efforts on behalf of uh all your mitigation efforts Thank you and thank you for your guidance and that's to uh john siemba and the entire team They have been really useful in terms of uh getting all the licensees together to share best practices and um, you know, we've learned we've learned a lot and uh, it's been a valuable uh asset And we appreciate all the cooperation from you and your fellow licensees here in in massachusetts So thank you and we expect that that will be a continued um, collaboration on a regular cadence. So thank you Thank you Thank you commissioners that concludes the report Thank you john. Thank you useful Very very helpful moving on now to item number five five Uh, this is therisa On uh responsible gaming in the game sense Reports therisa fiori. Thank you therisa, do we know if people are dialing in from Game sense. No, they're not dialing in they're certainly watching them and mark should be down in a minute So I can get started Okay, so um today we are going to be providing the quarterly report similar to what was presented at the mgm springfield meeting Um for the game sense program at that property. So today these reports cover, um, both on core boston harbour and clean urge park casino Um, and I encourage any questions throughout but also any feedback because it'll help us to create a template for future presentations like this Um, like I've said in the past we collect tons and tons of data and I'm always trying to figure out how to term it down So don't be shy and want to ask for So these presentations, um are organized around our logic model and within that logic model Which is essentially a roadmap for um a program. It's something which a lot of public health programs use to guide their work Um, there are three primary outputs as we see them To reduce gambling related harm to reduce to promote positive play And to have an rg enabled casino work for so while we have activities that support those different outputs They are very much intertwined So you'll see in the presentation. We provide data which supports those three pillars I'll take the magic moments and I'll give you That sounds perfect Another thing that is new to this presentation are what we call magic moments and that's denoted by a little magic wand So you'll see that throughout our power point. Um In the reason we included those was because we obviously anticipated to have our awesome gamesense advisors here And those are the points at which they're going to incorporate those really, um meaningful anecdotes to really contextualize In color this data for us. So we'll be um Not delivering those today, but are excited for the gamesense advisors in the future to come in and provide those Um, so with that I will hand it off to mark who will be presenting on um, the on core boston harvard gamesense team Good afternoon commissioners. Good afternoon. I wanted to just also give a quick update on gamesense operations And their response to the corona virus Teresa and I have been in very close contact Multiple times a day this week regarding Program changes that they need to make The mass counts on compulsive gambling who operates the gamesense information center Have largely followed the same direction that the commission is giving to our staff They Have made clear that that That if staff Feel that they are at risk for one reason or another That they would find alternative work environment for them This is going to have an impact on operations at at least two of the sites So gamesense operations at on core Largely will not be affected Um, however, they may divert staff to plain rich park casino and mgm Plain rich park casino Is expected to reduce the number of hours that they are able to provide the gamesense services as you know By contract they're providing gamesense services 16 hours a day seven days a week We're looking at adjusting that schedule and we're working closely with marlene warner Chelsea turner at the council to to make sure that we can we can extend At least the the more peak periods At plain rich park casino They will also be reducing if not eliminating many of the Problem gambling awareness month activities that they had planned both out in the community as well as back of the house similarly at mgm at this point It appears that they will be able to cover the number of hours that they're contracted to do However, they will be reducing Or eliminating problem gambling awareness month activities back back of the house with the casino employees Um, this is all subject to change. We we have a standing meeting at this point I think we're going to talk to them again this afternoon Just to get an update both from their end of what they're seeing from from their staff and concerns They have as well as any updates that we can provide from from the commission So, um, is there any questions about about that? and of course your team We're communicating effectively with them so they understand safety protocols and The team feels like they're getting enough good information Yeah, I believe I believe so. Um, chelsea turner who is their director of responsible gaming Has made a point of making sure she has contact with each one of the game sense advisors at each each of the properties In addition to making sure that she's in very close communication throughout the day With the the game sense supervisors at at each of the sites. Um, we do appreciate the increased cleaning protocol at each of the properties and extending that into the game sense information centers Um, as you know, these the game sense advisors are very patron-facing and so we want to be We we they are providing a valuable service and we want to be as as cautious as we can in responsive to to the coronavirus um, so Teresa walked you through the uh, kind of the Um The logic model and there there are three Impacts that we're hoping from our logic model. One is the rg enabled casino workforce. One is reducing gambling related harm And the third is promoting positive play Yeah, I need to advance through that As as we go through um, each of these presentations We're going to touch on each one of those. Those are our three goals positive play reduce gambling related harm and um Casino or rg enabled casino workforce at um on core boston harbour Okay, all right, so at on core boston harbour we have 10 game sense advisors covering 16 hours a day Right now it is uh, that team is led by lin ho Um and ray flouette who are the game sense Super supervisors The team speaks four languages english cantonese mandarin and spanish They bring a wealth of of experience with them to the casino and As well as not only in working with the patrons working with the casino employees And thinking about how can we improve improve the program that we have Um, so again going back to uh, the three impacts that we are striving for the rg enabled Casino workforce The game sense advisors while they're very Frontward facing towards and working with casino patrons. They also recognize the value of working With with the casinos The game sense advisors provided 12 casino staff trainings During the month as well as three gaming agent trainings per month They've done one voluntary self exclusion designated agent training Which means that they're training other others to be able to enroll persons into the voluntary self exclusion program Reducing gambling related harm is the second So game sense advisors, this is taking a look at six months worth of data um Moving forward we will be looking at quarterly updates to the data, but on average game sense advisors Has over 16,000 almost 17,000 simple interactions per month um, that results in In addition 1,750 intensive interactions per month. So those are one-on-one communications With patrons at the casino regarding responsible gaming regarding problem gambling They also average 16 voluntary self exclusions per month. This is the average. We've actually seen a significant uptick in the number of voluntary self exclusions The game sense advisors at on core actually, I believe at all three properties, but specifically at on core are doing On a monthly basis We're looking at extending our our community outreach efforts and when During in the next next year as we've re procured the game sense program overall We're looking at ways that we can extend the game sense program out into the community with with Many of the game sense lessons and educational teachings recognizing that It's important for our game sense advisors to be there in the casino But these are also important skills And information that can be delivered out in in the community So promoting positive play, um, so positive play is really about providing information to players so that They don't move down that continuum Towards at risk and problem gambling So what are the characteristics of players that are able to gamble for recreation and as a form of of entertainment? So when I said our game sense advisors bring an enormous skill and talent To understanding casino games and and thinking about ways that we can communicate this with patrons They are largely responsible for coming up with Many of the educational activities that help players understand the the myths conceptions and mathematics behind gambling Many of which I I simply couldn't sit here and explain to you myself. So um They also Are working on a a a new tool an augmented reality tool. I mentioned this during our last During my program update and in spring field. So augmented reality Basically, it's a it's a new way of using technology to be able to communicate with with patrons and Promote positive play to promote responsible gaming tips It's hard to explain, but we will we will certainly be demoing that for you as it as as time moves on And then follow it finally problem gambling awareness month The game sense advisors Have done enormous work. What you see here is a picture of one of our game sense advisors working Back at the house at on core Um providing information Creating this rg-enabled workforce Creating an rg-enabled workforce is is also Works towards changing a casino culture the more people basically if we are our game sense advisors Are working with the casino staff. They're creating ambassadors for for the program We've seen it that if they were here, then sure they would be able to to Explain how creating this a rg-enabled workforce not only Elevates the awareness of the importance of responsible gaming for the individual staff members, but it elevates it to it in organizational level Enabling them to have those types of convert staff casino staff to have those types of conversations with game sense advisors And game sense advisors become a resource For staff to to refer patrons to Um we have um Branched out and this year we've developed a relationship or a partnership with the lottery Um game sense advisors have been out to six of their regional or five I'm sorry five of the the regional offices We're planning this month to go to all six lottery regional outlets twice per month twice during the month Um because of the the staffing issues we've uh, they've made it to five out of the six One time this month and at this point we've um, we're not able to to commit to that six or that second visit to to all six of them Um And and certainly if if we can't commit to that we would be more than interested in continuing To explore partnership opportunities with the lottery to to fulfill that obligation Probably just not in March and the Reason why you can't commit to the second is is because of just the current situation that we're in We are going to be short staffed Right, so I just wanted to clarify that certainly yes, okay, and to I just had another question The back of the house that picture Um includes game sense advisors meeting with Encore Boston Harbor staff So really we depend and and we have the cooperation and collaboration with our license see Here to to really further one of the three goals Absolutely. Yeah, it's it's been in it's been in a a Across all three properties It's been um, it's been actually touching to see the type of cooperation that that we and partnership that we have With these sites that um, I went back of the house During our last game sense meeting at Encore Boston Harbor to to visit the table and at at gardo Who's who as one of the game sense advisors who speaks? Spanish was Running one of the tables and that quiz activity With with Encore Boston Harbor staff. Um, and it's not just the I think that specifically who he was working with were some of the people that that were Working in in the hotel And he was speaking Spanish with them. I couldn't understand what he was saying But um, it was clear that there was an interest in the Encore Boston Harbor staff in what Information he was providing And and it was clear that that there is a partnership that exists there So it's great. Yeah Um So we have a really busy team at Encore Boston Harbor One of the slides Showed exactly what you know, how many game sense advisors do we have to Encore Boston Harbor staff? The number is 483 Encore Boston staff for every game sense advisor we have there. So, uh It it tells you that um in order to really create that RG enabled workforce. They have to work really hard at at Being efficient and effective And in their in their job In the in the coming months or quarters, we'll be glad to provide you with an update on How problem gambling awareness month ended up Other areas in which we're doing community outreach The game sense advisors right now are planning on moving to a 24 7 model rather than 16 hours a day Again, we'll need to take this as as it comes and evaluate whether or not that's feasible in the in the coming months Whether or not we can implement that based upon the staffing needs at the at this point in time We're working on a positive play project with dr. Richard wood Um To begin I would say that if there's one area that I think that our game sense program needs to to really focus on Is is how do we refine? This this concept of positive play um, I I read an article just recently that talked about segment player segmentation Our messaging and information that we put out towards players is very good When we can begin to identify specific populations specific player segments and tailor those messages whether they're younger players whether they're poker players whether they're Older adults there's there's ways in which we can refine The type of messaging we do the type of information that's put out there that will make it all more effective And play my way Is is also an important piece. We're working with mgm And on core right now To extend the play my way program to those those two properties. This is no small feat This is a project that started about two years ago And developing play my way using their i gt system I'm working closely with with katrina and scott As well as i gt and on core boston harbour and mgm To get this rolled out Later this year any questions Great report. Thank you for your efforts and I think your enthusiasm is probably It probably trickles down to to staff so I think this is really important They're inspiring staff and and so it's easy to be excited about about this work And I know they they look forward to to coming to see you and they can communicate this much more effectively, but They really do inspire me and I think inspire Our motivation to do this work And I I do know that teresa Is very much behind these reports So That's an understatement And and the reports are so clear So thank you and we'll look forward to Seeing these on a quarterly basis and I know that as The programs become more and more robust that on core boston harbour and the statistics will become even more pertinent So we know exactly the work that you're you're accomplishing and appreciate the formatting teresa. Thank you Okay, so introducing the game sense team um at plain rich park casino The team there is headed by charlie or dilly Who was in fact supposed to be here today, but i'm sure he's watching will have notes for me after It's made up of six advisors four of whom have Casino gaming experience and you'll notice terence murphy is on there Who's actually one of the original game sense advisors? So he's been with the program quite a while And it's my understanding that he has a core following of players at plain rich park casinos A bit of a celebrity The game sense info center at ppc is located right by the park and garage elevators before you access the floor And they're operating 16 hours a day seven days a week at this point No intention to pilot a 24 hour program there So supporting The logic model Output of having an rg enabled casino workforce currently the game sense advisors on average offer one New higher training each month and that's reflective of the amount of new higher trainings that ppc is covered currently offering So things have slowed down there quite a bit for them Um, I also want to note that ray and amy Both of whom are senior gsa's at on core boston harvard and mgm spring fields started Their work at ppc and have since spread out. So it was a launching pad for them At the time This report was submitted. Um, we had community outreach coming soon In fact, there has already been one community presentation done. Um in the town of sharon And I believe that was done by charlie our senior gsa And he actually has three scheduled ones in the new bedford area in june with senior centers in that area The next pillar of reducing Reducing gambling related harm Can be reflected through Game sense advisors interaction with players. So on average for the six months, which mark already mentioned They meet with three thousand two hundred and forty one players in those one way simple communications more intensive interactions On average or one thousand five hundred and three and they are conducting an average Of six voluntary self-exclusion enrollments per month um There will be a particular emphasis on community outreach efforts for veterans is charlie or dilly. Um is a veteran himself Um, additionally something unique that this team is doing is supporting one of our community engaged research projects around the impacts of gambling on seniors in that area So they are actually um distributing surveys for those researchers. Um, so it's awesome to have a team to support that work In the final output of promoting positive play, um Mark spoke a bit about playing my way already and we're all familiar with um, how it functions as a play management tool I think it's interesting to note that on average games and advisors themselves are enrolling Five hundred and eight um players each month And that's not to say that players can't enroll themselves So the actual number of enrollments each month is actually quite a bit higher But I would say as far as the work that the game sense advisors are putting in those are a lot of interactions and those can be um Sometimes long. There's a lot of conversation around what the program is and how to actually enroll in it Um, there have been some hiccups in the play my way software at plain rich park casino I know our it team as well as the it team at ppc has been working hard to fix those issues And we're hoping they are resolved in the next few months um Again going back to an rg enabled workforce and reducing gambling related harm. Um, of course we have problem gambling awareness month activities at ppc Um, these include participation in national gambling disorder screening day, which was held on march 10th That's something which the cambridge health alliance supports and um tries to gain momentum behind every year Um, and we did have special activities planned for friday the 13th st. Patrick's day in march madness But we will see how those are impacted with the current outbreak So we'll be able to report on all that at the conclusion of this month So in summary, um, the game sense team at ppc is just as busy as the other two properties They're smaller, but they are just as mighty. They have their own unique players there They have their own unique challenges there. Um, and they do an excellent job in rising to the occasion of their roles Um, so we look forward to actually having them come in and share some of their stories and some of this data in the future So any questions commissioners, um, I I think it's great. Uh, the activities, uh, you know, um are Are great. I like the format very much of the report Um, and and I think as we see the cadence of future reports It'll continue to tell a narrative of the program, which I think is very important I'm going to suggest that for one future report We include the actual model the one pager of the logic model Maybe as an appendix It's it's really represented here through the slides Um, I I don't want to create the impression that the logic model is limited to To that graphic that by necessity is well summarized Um, the activities are throughout the presentation, but the one pager is also A really good tool that we I know the team, um, spend a great deal of time thinking about Um, and again, um, just for one future, uh report And as an appendix, um, I think it tells an important part of the story behind behind, um Behind this report Especially for next week on the public health trust fund executive committee, that was that was what triggered, um Again, we don't need to necessarily You know go in detail at that meeting either But it's an important point of reference that should be also understood by others Right. We we we've built game sense on a public health model and, um, a logic model as well as a spectrum of Prevention are two tools that we use in order to be able to Define what the program goals are And activities that support those goals Great great job. Thank you And we're going to turn, uh, just to go back to uh, uh In term executive director wells, yes, I think first I just want to thank you both for the reports and and to Our game sense advisors who may be watching We do wish you were here, uh, I think all of us that can speak for all of us that we are always enriched when we get to See them in person So we regret the circumstances, but we know that the future will allow Plenty of opportunities to see you and we hope that You're able to continue your excellent excellent work Thanks Did you Before we break from lunch Could could we break down if that's all right? Certainly we can we can break from for lunch now and Our timing is about for a half an hour. Is that what we're anticipating Mary Ann? Or We'll just to bring us back to about we'll do about Return around 120 then does that make sense? Okay, sounds good. Okay And we'll be here for um, dr. Lightbound should be all set at that time excellent. Thank you All right, we're good Austin Uh, we are reconvening after a short lunch break Public meeting number 291 As we indicated earlier on Matters continue to be fluid circumstances related to ongoing public health issues continue to rapidly evolve An emerging issue has come to the commission's attention that does demand a media assessment Our executive staff leadership is engaged in discussions With the appropriate stakeholders and officials Additional information will be forthcoming as soon as more facts are established With that it it makes a practical sense to Not address the important issues on the rest of our agenda so that we can free up everybody here that is needed to address this matter That does not mean that at the appropriate time. We will not return to these These matters on the agenda With that said I would recommend that we adjourn this this public meeting Motion to adjourn second All those in favor. I I propose five zero. Thank you everyone