A Policy Statement by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, based on nearly 50 years of experience in dealing with the impacts of major developments.
December 22, 2011

Analysis of Impacts of Expanded Gambling on Local Aid and Economic Development

2011 Gambling Bill

'Situation Critical: The Urgent Need for Independent Analysis, Regulation, and Oversight Before Massachusetts Legalizes Casinos'

Letter from Western Mass Casino Task Force

Bill S00150 relative to an independent analysis of expanding gaming in the Commonwealth

Governor Patrick's Amendment to the Legislature's Expanded Gambling Bill

Letter Raising Regulatory Concerns with Gambling Legislation from Former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger

Massachusetts Statewide Gaming Report

Aquinnah Wampanoag Casino Press Release

Senate Draft Expanded Gambling Proposal
Cover Letter

Full House Bill
House Bill Summary
Spectrum Gaming Market Analysis, Gross Gaming Revenue Projections

MetroWest Letter to Legislators

Casino Math Workbook for Beacon Hill

Governor Patrick's Letter to Senate President and Speaker of the House

2009 Testimony presented to Economic Development and Emerging Technologies

Western Mass. Casino Task Force List of Concerns and Issues

Supreme Court Ruling in Carcieri v. Salazar
Gambling with Nature: The environmental effects of mega-casinos

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS: Projecting and Preparing for Potential Impact of Expanded Gaming on Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Preliminary Cost / Benefit Analysis of Three Destination Resort Casinos in Massachusetts

2008 Testimony presented to Economic Development and Emerging Technologies
Comments In Response to the Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Trust Acquisition of an Initial Reservation in Middleboro Mass

Comments on the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's Land-in-Trust Application to the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Testimony of Carole Pelchat - MA League of Women Voters Vice President of Program & Action presented to the Bonding, State Assets and Capital Expenditures Committee
An Analysis of Property Tax Credits and Transportation Funding Under the Governor's Casino Proposal

Casino Gambling in Worcester: The Case For and Against

Statement of Concern by the 17-Town Southeast Mass Regional Task Force on Casino Impacts

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT By and Between the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Town of Middleborough, Massachusetts

Rolling the Dice: The Economic Reality of Expanded Gambling in the Commonwealth

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UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL GAMBLING REPORT SERIES
Three Volume Set: Titles in the series contain reprints of many important government documents and academic source materials relevant to gambling issues, divided topically. These books preserve documents in danger of being lost, particularly in their historical context; therefore, each document is preceded by a historical commentary. The reprinted documents are primarily substantive reference materials, especially those contributing to determinations of congressional intent as well as the motivations of federal/state decision makers. The front matter contains a preface, introduction, note on censorship by big gambling, and erudite executive summaries of both U.S. and American Indian gambling which list strategic determinations, problems, goals, background, trends and conditioning factors, and recommendations.

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New Hampshire Gaming Study Commission

States Face Drop in Gambling Revenues

Glitzy video slots seen as particular addiction risk

Meet Your New Neighbor: How slot machines are secretly designed to seduce and destroy you, and how the government is in on it.

Beware: 'Machine Zone' Ahead
Rural Casinos Leave a Huge Carbon Footprint

The Big Blind: Why the argument for casinos in Massachusetts ain't nothing but a mathquerade

Betting the Farm

Your brain on gambling: Science shows how slot machines take over your mind

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National Gambling Impact Study Commission Final Report
Gambling in the United States, Lotteries, Convenince Gambling and Stand-Alone Electronic Gambling Devices, Gambling Regulation, Problem and Pathological Gambling, Internet Gambling, Native American Tribal Gambling, Gambling's Impacts on People and Places.

New Hampshire Gaming Study Commission Final Report of Findings


Gambling: Australian Government Productivity Commission Draft Report


For the First Time, a Smaller Jackpot - Trends in State Revenues from Gambling


GAMBLING IN CONNECTICUT: Analyzing the Economic and Social Impacts


Economic Impacts of Casino Gambling: A Review


The Social Costs of Gambling
details economic destabilization, crime, child abuse and domestic violence, suicide, bankruptcy, youth gambling, addiction and social injustice that result from expanded gambling.



Economic Impacts of Casino Gambling at the State and Local Levels
examines the components of an economic impact analysis of casino gambling in State and Local economies. It shows both the positive and negative impacts, but an emphasis is given to the consequences of specific market structures that create losses in local economies.



Five Reasons to Vote NO on Casinos and Slots


Gambling by Underage College Students: Preferences and Pathology


2007 National Compensation Levels
Places the median hourly wage for gaming service employees at $6.34 per hour with annual median earnings of $13,179.



Statement to the Metro Ethics Coalition Project
examines casinos and tourism in Illinois. Those in favor of casino gambling often argue that casinos attract tourism and often cite Las Vegas as an example. However, this article debunks that theory and identifies Las Vegas as an isolated case. It states that most of the attendees at local casinos in Illinois live within a 50 mile radius in which they do not seek to spend their money on anything other than gambling.



Casinos, Crime and Community Costs
studies the connection between casinos and crime using county-level data for every U.S. county between 1977 and 1996, a period spanning the introduction of casinos to states other than Nevada.



Measuring Industry Externalities: The Curious Case of Casinos and Crime
The connection between casinos, an industry that did not exist outside Nevada prior to 1978, and crime using county-level data for the US between 1977 and 1996, a period spanning the introduction of casinos to states other than Nevada.



Gambling Economics: Summary Facts
Summary of gambling's effect on local economies



The economics and ethics of casino gambling


Buffet calls gambling a Tax on Ignorance
examines the expansion of casino gambling in Nebraska as a negative method of counterbalancing a fiscal shortfall in the next economic quarter.



Preliminary Study shows link between gambling, bankruptcies
is a short synopsis of a study from the University of Iowa. The study shows that there is a steady increase of bankruptcy rates in the counties that have a casino.



Outlook: Slots of Trouble?
is an interview between gambling expert Professor William Thompson of the University of Nevada/Las Vegas and members of the Washington community. The community members were asking diverse questions on the possibility of the expansion of casino gambling in the District of Columbia.



The Impact of Casinos gambling on Individual Bankruptcy Rates
examines the impact of casinos on individual bankruptcy rates from 1990 to 2002. The analysis indicates that although the rate remained constant the first years of a casinos operation, it significantly increased after nine years.



Letter from Karen Richards, Prosecuting Attorney, 38th Judicial Circuit, State of Indiana to the Mayor of Fort Wayne
a collection of insights gathered from other state prosecutors with local experiences with gambling



The Impact of Casinos on Banks
is an article that provides a comparison on the rate of return on equity. It highlights the point that after a casino opens the local banks will see a significant decrease in the return on equity.



The True Costs of Slots
follows the story of the expansion of Maryland's slot machines and social costs of gambling. Specifically citing examples of neglectful parenting and the overall deterioration of community values.



Economics of Casinos vs. Manufacturing
Robert Kerr identifies that casinos tend to take money out of the economy and serves as taxation on the naïve and addicted.



Editorial: A Bad bet
is an editorial piece that explains the aftermath of a casino on local businesses. The article is centered on Lawrenceburg, Indiana and provides examples on how the local infrastructure is trying to cope with the help of local officials and local tax dollars.



Five years after opening, Detroit casinos fulfill some expectations, but magic bullet they are not
examines the pros and cons of what was promised after a casino is opened. The article identifies many key expectations and then states that certain expectations surrounding revenue streams and employment benefits remain unfulfilled.



Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits
identifies that states pay higher taxes in part because they need to make up for the unmet revenue needs that were promised by casinos. The article argues that for every one dollar in gambling taxes its costs the state three.



Casino gambling and crime: A panel Study of Wisconsin Counties
identifies the link between casino gambling and crime. Results show that the existence of a casino within the boundaries of a county led to an increase in the county's crime rates.



The Menace of Competition and Gambling Deregulation
examines information on the spread of gambling and the concerns that arise with such rapid growth. The article starts to conclude that the spread of gambling should be halted until more research can be presented.



Perceptions of the extent of problem gambling within new casino communities
takes a look at the perceptions of problem gambling by residents that have recently legalized casino gambling. The article shows that at least 16% of the community residents were problem gamblers, which is a rate considerably higher compared to other studies.



Would casinos help or hurt our economy?
focuses on the discussion of the positive and negative impact of casinos on a local economy. After identifying a short list of questioned positive effects the negatives are outlined along with the long term price tag a community will be force to pay.



Assessing Self-Reported Expenditures on Gambling?
examines the estimates of the proportion of gaming revenues from problem gamblers. The article examines many factors and conclusions ultimately stating that a larger percentage of the gaming revenue comes from problem gamblers.



Gambling: Casinos? Costs Far Outweigh Their Economic Benefits, Economist Says
is an article centered on the discussion of casino gambling as an economic development tool for state and local economies. The discussion leads to the point that casino gambling will cost the community more than twice the actual incoming revenue.



Gambling as a Community Development Quick Fix
examines four cases in which communities use casinos as a method of spurring local development. The study reveals that communities saw little if any positive impact in social and economic development.



Raw Deal: Measuring the Toll of Connecticut's Casino
centers around the issues Connecticut has faced since the legalization of casino gambling. The article specifically addresses the social costs suffered by the citizens and communities when addressing the backlash of casino gambling in comparison to crime and treatment of addiction. It is identified that Connecticut spends twice the revenue from casino gambling to treat the social backlash.



The Failure to Regulate the Gambling Industry Effectively: Incentives for Perpetual Non-Compliance
examines the enormous social costs in legalized gambling. The article also identifies that gambling in the United States remains incredibly difficult, if not impossible to regulate effectively.



Gambling's Effects on Local Businesses
outlines the impact expanded gambling has had on local businesses on various communities across the nation.



Tide of Gambling yields backwash of addiction
examines gambling as an activity which can and does become addictive for a significant number of people. It states that gambling changes the chemistry of the brain, and is one of the most difficult addictions to alleviate. In communities with casinos and other gambling available, there are far more pathological gamblers than people afflicted with cancer.



Rapid onsets of Pathological Gambling in Machine Gamblers
takes a look at the length of time it takes the average compulsive gambler to become addicted and found machines are truly the most addictive of all gambling. They are also the biggest moneymakers in the gambling industry today.



Exploring the Limits of Responsible Gambling: Harm Minimization or Consumer Protection?
examines casino gambling in Australia and Canada and what the United States can learn. The article also states that gambling is designed, marketed and packaged to carry customers beyond the point of reason and control. Direct examples come from Australia where gambling matured much faster than the United States.



Cutting the Cards and Craps: Right Thinking about Gambling Economics
is a landmark study that was published in December 2001, corrects common misconceptions about the meaning of economic development and applying logic to the valid cost-benefit evaluation of casino gambling. The study states that the costs will always outweigh the benefits.