Why Massachusetts could be industry leader in responsible gambling?

And, frankly, Massachusetts has already shown itself to be a state dedicated to supporting responsible gambling programs.

The state’s large investments in problem gambling infrastructure were built into the 2011 bill that legalized its casinos. Eleven years later in fiscal year 2022, the budget for Massachusetts’ Public Health Trust Fund — which largely funds responsible gambling programs in the state — was about $17 million.

If MA sports betting revenue estimates are accurate, Massachusetts could add about $5.4 million to that budget, a substantial portion of which could fund new research.   

Track record of responsible gambling research in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has funded research like a six-year longitudinal study of problem gambling in the state. It included a lesser-known finding that not only found a spike in problem gambling related to the state’s three casino openings, but also that the spike occurred during media coverage of the casinos before they opened. 

“(Sports betting) exploded so much in the past five years that we still don’t know as much other than consistently, across many countries, many jurisdictions, we are seeing dramatic increases in gambling problems as it relates to sports wagering as opposed to other forms of gambling,” Marlene Warner, CEO of the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health, said in an interview with PlayMA. 

In some ways, it’s natural for Massachusetts to join the sports betting industry at this time. The state’s track record in responsible gambling gives it a strong chance to rise to this moment when responsible gambling is not only in the spotlight but also focused on specific responsible gambling policies. 

Early days of broad sports betting regulations 

The New York Times’ coverage of the sports betting industry in November sent shockwaves through the industry and its regulators. Coverage included criticisms of risk-free bets, low responsible gambling funding and other emerging industry issues circumvented by statehouse lobbying. 

However, the earliest sports betting regulations did not mention marketing free or risk-free bets. Delaware’s sports lottery regulations make no mention of free bets. They only required advertising materials to be submitted to the Delaware Lottery. New Jersey’s sports betting bill and regulations did the same. 

Both states already made commitments to responsible gambling investments. To this day, both states are leaders in responsible gambling per capita spending. According to a National Association of Administrators for Disordered Gambling Services (NAADGS) 2021 survey, Delaware was the third-highest per capita spender. Delaware has also become a major center of the country’s gambling helpline calls.

The same survey found that New Jersey was 19th. However, New Jersey added a Gambling Disorder Clinician Services Program in 2022. This added $600,000 for 10 new problem gambling providers. New Jersey is also home to the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University. 

So neither market has neglected problem gambling. Rather, specific issues have taken special significance since these early markets wrote their sports betting regulations.