On Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, Gov. Deval Patrick put pen to paper and made casino-style gambling a reality for Massachusetts. A decade later, the vision for expanded gaming has not been fully realized yet, players have pumped more than $25.6 billion into slot machines alone, almost 5,000 people are working in the casino industry here and the state has raked in nearly $1 billion in gaming revenue.

In the years since Patrick signed the expanded gaming law, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has organized itself, installed rigid and detailed rules to tightly regulate the industry, licensed three properties and managed their construction, and now oversees the Plainridge Park Casino slots parlor in Plainville, the MGM Springfield resort casino and the Encore Boston Harbor resort casino in Everett.