Potent beverages made headlines this week for Massachusetts’ fledgling casino industry.
On Thursday, MGM Resorts petitioned the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to allow it to serve alcohol until 4am at its new $960m MGM Springfield property, which is scheduled to open its doors to the public on August 24.
Massachusetts only allows liquor-licensed venues to keep the suds flowing until 2am, but legislators amended the rules last year to allow casinos to serve alcohol for an extra two hours, provided the MGC approved their request. On Thursday, the MGC said it would solicit public comment on MGM’s request before rendering its verdict.
Anthony Caratozzolo, MGM Springfield’s VP of food & beverage, insisted that the casino wasn’t seeking “an open bar” and that the early morning hooch would be available only on the casino floor – not in the property’s bars and restaurants – and only to people who are “actively gaming.”
WHEN YOUR SODA TASTES LIKE ASS AND IT’S NOT MOUNTAIN DEW
Meanwhile, the state’s only active gaming venue, Penn National Gaming’s Plainridge Park Casino, also made beverage-related news this week, but for all the wrong reasons. On Tuesday, Alexandria Martel, a member of the casino’s cleaning staff, was arrested on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and attempted poisoning after allegedly spiking two co-workers’ sodas with cleaning fluid.
Police said the 23-year-old Martel’s her co-workers complained that their sodas had been Mickey Finned to the extreme after being left unattended. Upon tasting their drinks, one of the co-workers spat it out while the other poured hers out after complaining of the taste.
Surveillance video reportedly shows Martel pouring an unidentified liquid into the two cups, which Martel later described as “yellow cleaner.” Naturally, the wannabe Lucretia Borgia pleaded innocent to the charges, insisting that she was only trying to make her co-workers “nauseous” because she didn’t fancy working with them that day. She’s been released on $500 bail.
