The Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) study recently released Plainridge Park Casino First Year of Operations: Economic Impacts Report, authored by the UMass Donahue Institute’s Thomas Peake and Rod Motamedi.

With its release, media outlets from inside and outside of Massachusetts have targeted the report’s headline takeaways. The framing of these takeaways, however, is clearly shaped by which side of the border one is speaking from.

From a Massachusetts perspective, PPC has delivered on recapturing casino patrons who would have otherwise spent their gambling dollars at out-of-state casinos. Indeed, PPC represents one piece in Massachusetts’ larger casino expansion puzzle (read: MGM Springfield and Wynn Boston Harbor). In contrast, from a Connecticut perspective, PPC’s ‘recapturing’ of gambling dollars represents a threat and may foreshadow increased cross-border competition for gambling dollars, especially with MGM Springfield slated to open in September 2018. 

For Massachusetts coverage on SEIGMA’s Economic Impacts Report, read here

For Connecticut coverage on SEIGMA’s Economic Impacts Report, read here