A Benchmark Study for Monitoring Exposure to New Gambling Opportunities: Final Report Scientific Content
Date
2013-05-29
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Abstract
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is nearing an historic change to its legal gambling landscape. The expansion of legal gambling opportunities to include large resort-style casinos presents a unique opportunity to learn about the short- and long-term ramifications of such expansion on public health. Because this period represents a natural experiment within Massachusetts, there is a limited window of opportunity to collect accurate baseline data. To determine how new gambling opportunities impact the
public's gambling-related health, it is imperative to establish baseline estimates of gambling-related behaviors and health prior to the opening of new gambling venues. This project used a statewide online
survey recruited via random household survey to establish a baseline estimate of gambling behaviors and health within Massachusetts' communities that can be used as the benchmark for a prospective long-term
longitudinal investigation of the effect of gambling expansion on public health.
Description
Permission to archive report in repository granted by Sarah E. Nelson, Associate Director of Research Division on Addiction, Harvard Medical School on June 4, 2013.
Keywords
Gambling -- Massachusetts