Before the state’s first resort casino even opened its doors, there was a “significant increase” in the number of people with gambling problems who relapsed in Massachusetts and the Gaming Commission highlighted that situation Monday as it began to consider updates to its rules around gambling and betting advertising.
Until MGM Springfield opened on Aug. 24, 2018, the only legal betting option for Massachusetts gamblers was the Plainridge Park Casino slots parlor in Plainville. But the planned opening of MGM…was all over the news in the summer of 2018 and Gaming Commission researchers said that publicity was harmful to people with gambling problems, who are more likely than non-gamblers to be influenced by gambling promotions and advertisements.
