Gazing from Charlestown across the Mystic River, the curve of the Encore casino might catch golden sunset light or sit dully under a cloudy New England sky. Its promise of ringing slot machines, spinning roulette wheels, hopping poker tables, and walls of sportsbooks is – ostensibly – limited to those over the age of 21. But for the young people living in the nearby Boston neighborhood, it could color their first exposure to gambling.
That is what the city hopes to probe through a request for proposals put out through the Mayor’s Office of Human Services this summer.
A year-long study paid for with casino mitigation funds would explore how 14- to 25-year-olds in Charlestown experience gambling, their feelings about the Encore, and make recommendations about how the city of Boston can protect youths “from being harmed or exploited by gambling.”
