Webinar Focuses on Impacts of Resort-Casino in Springfield

The Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) study, based at UMass Amherst’s School of Public Health and Health Sciences, will host on Wednesday, Oct. 14, the 2020 Public Research Day Webinar titled “Springfield’s Two Years as a Casino Host: Looking Back and Looking Forward.”

Researchers will present reports about the impacts of MGM Springfield two years after the resort-casino opened. The webinar, which is open to the public, will feature findings from surveys of MGM Springfield employees, casino patrons and Springfield residents. The social and economic impacts of MGM Springfield will be detailed, including the casino’s effects on gambling attitudes and problem gambling.

The new findings are part of an unprecedented, comprehensive investigation into the effects of introducing casino gambling into the state. In 2013, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission chose the SEIGMA team, which includes the UMass Donahue Institute, to carry out the robust research agenda mandated by the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act.

Register for the webinar here.