SEIGMA Holds First Annual Public Research Day Webinar
10/26/2020
For the last six years, SEIGMA has held its Annual Public Research Day as an in-person event; last year's event was held in Springfield (read about it here). In-person restrictions due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has given the team an opportunity to pivot to an online format for this year's event entitled "Springfield's Two Years as a Casino Host Community: Looking Back and Looking Forward" held on October 14, 2020. The research day presentation and video of the webinar are available on our News page (https://www.umass.edu/seigma/news). Full reports, executive summaries, individual presentations, and fact sheets for the reports presented at this Annual Public Research Day will be available through the Reports tab on our website (https://www.umass.edu/seigma/reports).
Álvaro J. Castro Rivadeneira, a doctoral student in epidemiology at UMass Amherst and a Research Assistant on the SEIGMA project, shares his experience in helping host the webinar and explains the benefits of transitioning to this new format.
MAGIC Study Update: Report on Transitions Across Four Waves
07/30/2020
SEIGMA releases follow-up findings on stability and transitions of problem, at-risk, and recreational gamblers through the fourth wave of the Massachusetts Gambling Impact Cohort (MAGIC) study, the first major cohort study of gambling in the U.S.
Valerie Evans, SEIGMA’s project manager, explains the importance of this new MAGIC report entitled “MA Gambling Impact Cohort (MAGIC): Transitions across Four Waves.” This report sheds light on changes in gambling behavior across four waves of the cohort with a focus on the stability and transitions of problem, at-risk, and recreational gamblers across four waves of the cohort study. A comprehensive report looking at all five waves of the cohort will be released at the end of 2020.
Lottery Revenue and MGM Springfield: Statewide and Local Analysis
04/09/2020
Mark Nichols, PhD, Professor of Economics at the University of Nevada, Reno, has over twenty years of experience analyzing the social and economic impacts of casinos. Working with the SEIGMA economics team at the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute’s Economic and Public Policy Research Group, Dr. Nichols has completed an analysis of the effects of the first year since the opening of MGM Springfield on the Massachusetts Lottery.
Both statewide and nationally, there is concern about the impact of the introduction of casinos on lottery sales. As part of the SEIGMA project, we are in the fortunate and unique position of having detailed sales data from the Massachusetts Lottery that allows us to assess the impact of casino gambling on lottery sales over time and at different levels of resolution (i.e., in host and surrounding communities and statewide). Following the opening of Plainridge Park Casino in June 2015, previous analysis by the SEIGMA team saw an increase in lottery sales in Plainville during the first year after the slot parlor opened even though statewide lottery sales retained relatively stable growth during this time. This was attributed to an increase in lottery sales at the new casino. However, following the opening of MGM Springfield in August 2018, lottery sales decreased for Springfield and surrounding communities, overall, in the first year even though lottery sales experienced a statewide increase in growth. The SEIGMA team will continue to monitor lottery sales in and around Springfield to determine if the first year results reflect longer term trends and whether the addition of another resort-style casino in Everett will have an impact on lottery sales in the Commonwealth.
UMass researchers provide update of Plainridge Park Casino’s social and economic impacts on the Commonwealth
11/11/2019
Researchers from UMass Amherst and the UMass Donahue Institute, as part of the Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) research team, released three reports detailing findings of the social and economic impacts of the state’s only slot parlor, Plainridge Park Casino (PPC), to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) at an open meeting in Plainville, Massachusetts.
UMass Amherst researchers release findings on the economic impacts of MGM Springfield construction
10/01/2019
Researchers from the UMass Donahue Institute, as part of the Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) research study at UMass Amherst, have released findings on the economic impacts of constructing MGM Springfield. Specifically, these findings detail:
1) where the construction dollars were spent (regionally and statewide),
2) where the construction workers resided and whether it was a diverse workforce, and
3) what were the total statewide economic impacts of constructing MGM Springfield. The findings were released today after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission open meeting in Springfield.
UMass Amherst researchers assess the early impacts of MGM Springfield on real estate conditions in Springfield
09/23/2019
The Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) research team at UMass Amherst examined the initial impacts of announcing the MGM Springfield casino license in February 2014 and its subsequent construction on housing and real estate conditions in Springfield, Massachusetts and its surrounding communities. This report was recently released at an open public meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. These findings follow the baseline report that examined housing and real estate conditions in Springfield prior to the announcement of the MGM Springfield license.
UMass Amherst research team (SEIGMA) releases findings on the First-Ever Major Cohort Study of Gambling in the U.S.
9/12/2019
The Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) research team at UMass Amherst has released a report on the first major adult cohort study of gambling conducted in the United States—the Massachusetts Gambling Impact Cohort (MAGIC). By surveying the same individuals over time, cohort studies provide information on how gambling and problem gambling develops, progresses, and remits. The goals of the MAGIC study are to 1) uncover and understand populations in Massachusetts who are at a higher risk of experiencing gambling harm and problem gambling and 2) inform the development of effective and efficient prevention and treatment programming in the Commonwealth.
Research professor Dr. Rachel Volberg in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at UMass Amherst and Principal Investigator of the MAGIC study comments on the importance of the cohort study to assess gambling behaviors in Massachusetts:
“Although this report focuses on results from before the opening of MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor, we have already learned a great deal about how gambling problems among Massachusetts adults develop, progress, and remit—information that will assist the Gaming Commission and the Department of Public Health in crafting the right mix of prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery services to effectively minimize and mitigate gambling harm in the Commonwealth.”
SEIGMA team offers preliminary glimpse of MGM Springfield impacts at Public Research Day in Springfield
05/20/2019
Dr. Alissa Mazar, SEIGMA's project manager and research associate, details the SEIGMA research team’s Public Research Day held at the UMass Center at Springfield that offered preliminary findings of the impacts of MGM Springfield in the Springfield community.
SEIGMA Team Releases Most Comprehensive Report on Impacts of Casinos Ever Undertaken and One-Page “Fact Sheets”
12/6/2018
The SEIGMA team has officially released the Social and Economic Impacts of Expanded Gambling in Massachusetts: 2018 report--constituting the most in-depth and comprehensive investigation of the impacts of introducing casino gambling ever undertaken--and 10 Fact Sheets, which are one-page briefings that summarize findings of the social and economic impacts of expanded gambling in the Commonwealth.
SEIGMA’s Real Estate Report finds Plainridge Park Casino has Minimal Impacts on Real Estate in Plainville and Surrounding Communities
10/11/2018
SEIGMA’s Real Estate Impacts of the Plainridge Park Casino on Plainville and Surrounding Communities report examines the initial impacts of the Plainridge Park Casino on the residential, commercial, and industrial real estate markets in Plainville and its surrounding communities. This report follows the Baseline Real Estate Conditions, Host Community Profile: Plainville report that documented real estate trends prior to the opening of Plainridge Park Casino.
SEIGMA research featured in BMC Public Health: Gambling behavior strongly related to social network's level of gambling
09/05/2018
Alissa Mazar, SEIGMA's project manager, summarizes the SEIGMA team’s most recent contribution to the field of public health in the journal BMC Public Health: “The importance of friends and family to recreational gambling, at-risk gambling, and problem gambling.”
Gallup and SEIGMA both find a strong majority agree that gambling is morally acceptable
06/08/2018
Based on Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs Social Series, "69 percent of Americans say gambling is morally acceptable [in 2018], a four percentage-point increase from last year and the highest level of acceptance in the 16 years Gallup has asked the question." Compared to the nation, the SEIGMA team, using the Baseline General Population Survey of Massachusetts, found that 82.4 percent of the Massachusetts adult population did not believe gambling was morally wrong and only 17.3 percent considered gambling immoral in 2013-2014. Indeed, compared to the nation, more Massachusetts residents feel that gambling is morally acceptable.
SEIGMA-UMass Donahue Institute analyze the impacts of casino expansion on the MA Lottery
05/08/2018
Mark Nichols, PhD—professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Reno—has twenty years of experience analyzing the social and economic impacts of casinos. Working with the SEIGMA economics team at the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, Dr. Nichols has completed an analysis of the effects of Plainridge Park Casino on the Massachusetts Lottery, titled “Lottery Revenue and Plainridge Park Casino: Analysis After Two Years of Casino Operation.”
Statewide and nationally, there is concern that the introduction of casinos will impact lottery sales. In Massachusetts, we are in the fortunate and unique position of having detailed sales data from the Massachusetts Lottery. This allows us to assess the impact of casino gambling on lottery sales over time and at different levels of resolution (i.e., in host and surrounding communities, different driving distances, different regions, patron origination cities, and statewide).
Following the opening of Plainridge Park Casino in June 2015, the present analysis shows there is no significant negative impact on lottery sales that can be attributed to the casino. In the first year of operation, sales closer to the casino grew more slowly. While these sales declined in the second year of casino operation, they remain unchanged when including sales in Plainville and Plainridge Park Casino together. We will continue to monitor lottery sales to determine if the first two years of results reflect longer term trends and whether the much larger casinos planned for Everett and Springfield will have similar or different impacts on lottery sales in the Commonwealth.
SEIGMA Launches MASS-AT-A-GLANCE—An interactive app of social and economic trends in MA communities
05/02/2018
Valerie Evans, a Biostatistician on the SEIGMA project, is currently managing the development of interactive web applications.
The SEIGMA team is excited to introduce MASS-AT-A-GLANCE, a user-friendly platform which provides users with an interactive way of exploring Massachusetts data on selected social and economic variables. MASS-AT-A-GLANCE currently contains data on demographics (age, race, gender, ethnicity, population), social variables (marital status, educational attainment, veterans status, suicide rates, English language learners, students with disabilities), and economic variables (household income, poverty rates, employment, unemployment, bankruptcy, rent, building permits). Users can explore state-wide data or opt to focus on data in a specific municipality.
SEIGMA releases findings on the first major cohort study of gambling in the US: The Massachusetts Gambling Impact Cohort (MAGIC) study
12/28/2017
Alissa Mazar, SEIGMA’s project manager, explains the recently released “Analysis of MAGIC Wave 2: Incidence and Transitions,” which provides insights into changes in gambling participation and problem gambling incidence prior to the opening of casinos in the Commonwealth.
The Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) research team has released a report on the first major adult cohort study of gambling conducted in the United States. By surveying the same individuals over time, cohort studies provide information on how gambling and problem gambling develops, progresses, and remits. This has significant value as it can highlight risk and protective factors important in developing effective prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support services.
What are the economic impacts of casinos in MA? The Patron and License Plate Survey Report offers insight
10/25/2017
Alissa Mazar, SEIGMA's project manager, details SEIGMA’s recently released “Patron and License Plate Survey Report: Plainridge Park Casino 2016,” which is a key component to understanding the social and economic impacts of casinos in the Commonwealth.
In 2016, the Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) research team conducted a patron survey at Massachusetts’ first casino, Plainridge Park Casino (PPC). Laurie Salame, senior lecturer at UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management and an expert advisor to the study, led the survey and is the report’s lead author. Concerning patron surveys, this effort is first-of-its-kind due to its rigorous method to attain a sample of PPC patronage as representative as possible while using sophisticated weighting techniques to account for response bias.
Economic Impact Report of Plainridge Park Casino's First Year of Operation
10/17/2017
Thomas Peake, Research Analyst at the UMass Donahue Institute (UMDI), and a researcher on the economic and fiscal analysis team, has spent the last three years developing models to assess the economic impacts of expanded gaming in Massachusetts. In this post, Peake details results from his analysis of the impacts from Plainridge Park Casino’s (PPC) first year of operation.
Gambling intensity and formats matter most, Volberg and co-authors find
08/31/2017
Alissa Mazar, SEIGMA's project manager, summarizes Volberg and co-authors' most recent contribution to the gambling literature, “Forms of gambling, gambling involvement, and problem gambling: Evidence from a Swedish population survey.”
Dr. Rachel Volberg, the Principal Investigator of the SEIGMA study, has recently published “Forms of gambling, gambling involvement, and problem gambling: Evidence from a Swedish population survey” in International Gambling Studies. Working in collaboration with colleagues from Sweden, Volberg’s article makes a distinct contribution to the gambling literature by teasing out how participating in specific forms of gambling, the number of gambling formats, and intensity (i.e., time and money spent) relate to problem gambling.
SEIGMA-MAGIC Annual Meeting
06/28/2017
Alissa Mazar, the Project Manager of SEIGMA-MAGIC, shares her first experience at the 2017 SEIGMA-MAGIC Annual Meeting.
I could use many words to describe my first experience at the SEIGMA-MAGIC Annual Meeting. A few come to mind: thought provoking, motivating, engaging, and cutting-edge. Personally, however, the most accurate word to capture my experience is ‘humbling.’ As the new project manager on this first of its kind study on the social and economic impacts of expanded gambling, I came to see, first-hand, what the minds of the SEIGMA-MAGIC team do.
Working at Plainridge Park Casino: Examining the First Two Years of Operation
05/09/2017
Andrew Hall, M.P.A., M.A., is a research analyst at the UMass Donahue Institute where he serves as a member of the economic and fiscal analysis team for the SEIGMA project.
The UMass Donahue Institute’s Economic and Public Policy Research team, a part of the larger SEIGMA team, strives to understand the impacts of the introduction of casinos on the people and economy of the Commonwealth. One point of interest in our work on the study is understanding the jobs at the casinos in Massachusetts, and the characteristics of employees when they are first hired to work there. We designed a survey to obtain this information and gather a range of data on work-related characteristics and aspirations of new employees.
Gambling and Problem Gambling in Massachusetts: In-Depth Analysis of Predictors
03/30/2017
Rachel Volberg, Principal Investigator on the SEIGMA project, discusses the results of deeper analyses of data from the Baseline General Population Survey (BGPS), a survey of 9,578 Massachusetts residents that was carried out in 2013/2014.
Our BGPS provided a description of the characteristics of non-gamblers, recreational gamblers, at-risk gamblers, and problem gamblers prior to the opening of any casinos in the Commonwealth. Today we are publishing a new report which uses data collected from our baseline survey, but focused on identifying factors that are gambling and problem gambling predictors in Massachusetts.
Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts: Results of a Baseline Online Panel Survey
01/20/2017
Robert Williams, co-Principal Investigator on the SEIGMA project, is a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Lethbridge, in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada and also a Research Coordinator for the Alberta Gambling Research Institute. He and his colleagues on the SEIGMA Social and Health Impacts Team have just produced a report derived from a Baseline Online Panel Survey (BOPS) of 5,046 Massachusetts residents during 2013-2014.
The purpose of the Baseline Online Panel Survey (BOPS) is to study problem gamblers in the state in more detail than the SEIGMA study’s Baseline General Population Survey (BGPS). The BGPS examined a sufficient number of problem gamblers to reliably establish their prevalence in the population, as well as their demographic and gambling profile. However, the number of participants was too small to arrive at a more detailed understanding of problem gamblers.
SEIGMA team examines lottery sales during first year of casino operations in state
01/18/2017
Mark Nichols, PhD, a professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Reno, has twenty years of experience analyzing the social and economic impacts of casinos. Working with the SEIGMA economics team at the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, Dr. Nichols has completed an initial assessment of the first year of Massachusetts casino gambling impacts on the state's lottery sales.
Both statewide and nationally, there is concern about the impact of the introduction of casinos on lottery sales. In Massachusetts, we are in the fortunate and unique position of having detailed sales data from the Massachusetts Lottery that allows us to assess the impact of casino gambling on lottery sales over time and at different levels of resolution (i.e., in host and surrounding communities, at different driving distances, and statewide). Following the opening of Plainridge Park Casino in June 2015, the present analysis shows that lottery sales have not decreased statewide or nearer the casino during the first year. We will continue to monitor lottery sales to determine if the first year results reflect longer term trends and whether the much larger casinos planned for Everett and Springfield will have similar or different impacts on lottery sales in the Commonwealth.
Profiles examine real estate challenges and opportunities in three communities targeted for casinos
10/04/2016
Henry Renski is an associate professor of Regional Planning in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at UMass Amherst. Thomas Peake is a Research Analyst at the UMass Donahue Institute. In this post they discuss their study of baseline real estate conditions in the three communities currently designated to host a casino in Massachusetts.
In 2015, the UMass Donahue Institute produced a series of host community economic profiles for the cities of Everett and Springfield, Massachusetts and the town of Plainville, Massachusetts. The goal of these reports was to document the historical trends in various economic indicators prior to the opening of the casinos. The baseline real estate conditions reports now being posted are intended to serve as companions to those profiles, with a focus on past trends in residential and commercial real estate in each of the host communities and their designated surrounding communities.
The economic impacts of constructing Plainridge Park Casino
09/20/2016
Rod Motamedi, Research Manager at the UMass Donahue Institute (UMDI), and a research lead on the economic and fiscal analysis team, is an expert in the application of economic models to high-visibility issues around the U.S. and internationally. In this post he details results from his analysis of the impacts from the construction phase of Plainridge Park Casino.
Part of the motivation for exploring expanded gaming in Massachusetts was to provide new economic opportunities for the people and businesses of the Commonwealth. The UMass Donahue Institute, as part of the SEIGMA team, is tasked with measuring the economic changes that will occur as the casinos are built and open for business over the coming years. As the first step in this process, the Economic and Public Policy Research group at UMDI is releasing a paper on the economic impacts of the construction of Plainridge Park Casino.
SEIGMA Study Fact Sheets Aim to Share Results with Public Through Clear Communication
03/01/2016
Matthew Medeiros, Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) Website Manager, details the SEIGMA project’s new fact sheet series.
One of the challenges researchers face is communicating complex research results, arrived at through highly specialized data analysis and statistics, to the general public. Our team feels it is vital to overcome this challenge, especially since SEIGMA examines the highly polarized topic of gambling, with far-reaching potential impacts in the state’s economy and public health.
That’s why the team has initiated an ongoing series, the SEIGMA Fact Sheets, which will share information on the project, and ultimately our results, in a style that is engaging, clear, and avoids overloading readers with too much technical information.
Plainridge Park Casino Patron Survey
05/17/2016
Laurie Salame, Expert Advisor to the SEIGMA Research Team, describes the role patron surveys are playing in the study and the process the team has developed in visits to the first casino to open in the state, Plainridge Park Casino (PPC).
The SEIGMA Project is working on many exciting activities related to data collection. Our patron survey is a prime example of the ways the SEIGMA project allows experts from both the social and economic teams to work together.
As outlined in the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) research agenda, patron surveys are needed to obtain critical data pertaining to the geographic origin of revenue flowing to the new gaming venues, to assess whether patron expenditures represent a genuine influx of new wealth to the Commonwealth, and to measure the extent to which money may have been diverted from other sectors of the economy. The opening of Plainridge Park Casino (PPC) in June 2015 gave us our first opportunity to collect data from patrons here in Massachusetts.
Assessing Health Impacts of the Springfield Casino
10/28/2016
Amanda Houpt, Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) Project Manager, details the recent Community Forum, sponsored by Partners for a Healthier Community at the Community Music School in Springfield.
On October 21, 2015, Partners for a Healthier Community invited members of the SEIGMA research team to present at a forum titled: How Will the Casino Impact the Springfield Area: Current Research on Gambling and Socioeconomic Status. We were thrilled to connect with the Western Massachusetts community at this event.
Research assistants make up vital part of data analysis for SEIGMA
09/09/2015
Matthew Medeiros, Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) Website Manager, reports on the team of research assistants that have joined the SEIGMA team this academic year.
The SEIGMA study has many components and team members. Recently I took some time to learn more about the vital work done by the dozen UMass Amherst research assistants (RAs) who have been hard at work analyzing data for the upcoming release of SEIGMA’s baseline survey results.
Measuring the Economic Effects of Casinos on Local Areas: Applying a Community Comparison Matching Method
12/09/2014
SEIGMA Expert Advisor Mark Nichols, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno highlights a recent white paper co-written with the UMass Donahue Institute, Economic and Public Policy Research Group
Since the inception of the SEIGMA study, we at the UMass Donahue Institute have been collecting data and refining our approach for measuring the economic and fiscal impacts of expanded gambling in Massachusetts. We recently released a white paper that provides an overview of community matching, one of the methods the SEIGMA economic and fiscal team will use to analyze the economic impacts of gaming venues in Massachusetts.
A Key Resource for Understanding Gambling Impacts
10/08/2014
Laurie Salame, Expert Advisor to the SEIGMA Research Team, highlights a report on gambling impacts.
What are the social and economic impacts of gambling? This is a question asked by many, accurately answered by few. In a state where casino gambling is in the news daily, the desire to understand these issues is increasingly important in the minds of many Bay State citizens.
The Massachusetts legislature was also very keen to understand these impacts, which is why the current state casino law requires ongoing research into these impacts. To achieve that end, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) chose the University of Massachusetts Amherst and its partners to carefully study these impacts. This is how the SEIGMA study began.
SEIGMA on the Road: Conferences in the Gambling Research Community
07/16/2014
Rachel Volberg, Principal Investigator on the SEIGMA study highlights recent conference visits by the team.
The University is very quiet during the summer. However, while many students and staff here are vacationing on the seashore or in the mountains, summer is conference season for the SEIGMA team. In June, I traveled to Baltimore to present a keynote address at the Second Annual Maryland Conference on Problem Gambling whose theme was “The Impact of Gambling on Public Health.” In addition to my talk, Dr. Timothy Fong presented on the California Gambling Education and Treatment Services (CALGETS) program; Jim Wuelfing from the MA Council on Compulsive Gambling presented on recovery-oriented services and systems of care; and Dr. Deborah Haskins presented on the importance of connecting services to communities of color.
SEIGMA's Annual Meeting
05/02/2014
Amanda Houpt, Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) Project Manager, reports on the recent Annual Meeting of the team, held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
For most Americans, mid-April marks tax season and the return of spring. For the SEIGMA Research Team, April has additional significance as the anniversary of our project’s start date. It’s hard to believe it, but just a little over one year ago, the SEIGMA study launched. The team has been a flurry of activity ever since. To commemorate the one year anniversary of the project, we held a three-day meeting on April 14-16. Expert advisors, principal investigators, team members, and members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission convened in Western Massachusetts to update each other on progress made, collaborate, and plan for the next year.
How Slot Parlor Selection Affects the SEIGMA Research Study
03/12/2014
With this posting, the Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) team begins a regular blog feature on the web. In upcoming editions we hope to feature voices from our team, and regular updates about our progress with the study.
Like many in the Commonwealth, we have been waiting for the announcement of the slots parlor license. Our offices feature a large map of Massachusetts hanging on a wall with sticky tabs marking potential host & surrounding communities, for the slots parlor and casinos. We have been in dialogue for months about the best way to collect and analyze data depending on the outcome. Several of us were in Boston when the slot parlor license announcement was made and we were excited to contact our collaborators & fellow team members to announce the news and roll out the next phase of our study.