Massachusetts’ Plainridge Park Casino, the only slots parlor in the Bay State, is credited with “significant economic benefits,” including jobs creation, in the eastern part of the state according to an ongoing long-term study of gaming’s impact by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
According to the regularly-issued report, “Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling Massachusetts,” the Plainville casino’s construction was the first measurable economic benefit. The construction created 1,286 new jobs, $104.4 million in net personal income and $121.8 million in net new economic activity—most of that in Bristol and Norfolk counties.
One of the reasons the legislature authorized casinos in the state was to keep money from leaving for other gaming states. The study showed that between $176 million to $186 million in such “new money” results each year. The city of Plainville’s average wage rose and its poverty rate declined during the same period, although the study could not show the correlation was causation; it indicated that nearly half of those employees surveyed said that they had previously been unemployed or working part-time. Three-quarters said they lacked college degrees.
The study’s lead author, Andrew Hall, said in a statement: “Analyzing casino employment is critical to understanding whether casino employment can be a pathway to economic stability and prosperity for workers.”
