Nelson, Sarah E.Kleschinsky, John H.LaPlante, Debi A.Gray, Heather M.Shaffer, Howard J.2013-06-042013-06-042013-05-29http://hdl.handle.net/1880/49608Permission to archive report in repository granted by Sarah E. Nelson, Associate Director of Research Division on Addiction, Harvard Medical School on June 4, 2013.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.engGambling -- MassachusettsGambling Literaturetechnical report10.11575/PRISM/9346