Raschkowan Lecture Series: Gambling in the Digital Age
Presenter: Dr. Rachel Volberg
Talk Title: Gambling in Massachusetts: From Table Games to Sportsbooks
Abstract
With the passage of the Expanded Gaming Act in 2011, Massachusetts authorized the development of a casino industry in the state. During the subsequent eight years, three resort casinos were built in the cities of Plainville, Springfield, and Everett. These casinos brought immediate economic benefit to the Commonwealth in the form of local job creation, tourism revenue, tax revenue, and local aid. In addition, the social impacts of introducing casinos with electronic gaming machines and table games into the state have been documented by the SEIGMA team over the last decade with some surprising, and some not so surprising, results. The recent legalization of sports betting will bring a new gambling format to the Massachusetts gambling landscape. The economic and social impacts of such a venture can only be speculated upon at this early stage; however, previous work done by the research team can provide an idea of the potential impacts the introduction of sports betting may bring to the Commonwealth over time.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Rachel Volberg is a sociologist by training and has been involved in research on gambling and problem gambling since 1985. She has directed or consulted on numerous studies internationally, published extensively, and advised governments and private sector organizations on issues relating to gambling legalization, the epidemiology of problem gambling and public policy approaches to developing and refining services for problem gamblers and their families. In addition to her independent consulting company, Dr. Volberg is currently a Research Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on the faculty of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. In this position, she is the Principal Investigator on two major studies funded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission: the ongoing Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) study and the completed Massachusetts Gambling Impact Cohort (MAGIC) study.
The Raschkowan webinar series is free to attend, but registration is required. For more information or to register, see www.ncpgambling.org/Raschkowan
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