Report: State’s First Casino Hasn’t Hurt Lottery Revenues

PHOTO COURTESY: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

BOSTON (AP) — A state-funded study says lottery sales haven’t been hurt by the opening of Massachusetts’ first casino in Plainville.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst said in a report delivered to gambling regulators Thursday that the state didn’t see a widespread decrease in lottery revenues following Plainridge Park’s opening in late June 2015.

The study did find lottery revenues grew slower in communities around the slots parlor than the rest of the state but increased significantly in the town of Plainville itself.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is looking to build a casino in Taunton, but is currently working through a legal challenge to their land into trust status.

State officials had voiced concerns that introducing casinos might negatively impact the lottery, which generates revenue that benefits local cities and towns.

It remains to be seen what impact future casino projects have. Wynn is developing a major resort in Everett and MGM is building one in Springfield.

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