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State of Play’s TL;DR
- The Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University has dropped its lawsuit against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
- The state has begun providing researchers access to anonymized casino player data.
A Massachusetts public health group has dropped its lawsuit against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission after the state moved to provide researchers access to anonymized casino player data. The dispute centered on whether regulators had followed a 2011 law requiring casino gambling data to be collected and made available for research into addiction and safer play.
The Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University (PHAI) filed the lawsuit in 2024, arguing that the state had still not made the data available more than a decade after the first casino opened.
Earlier this month, the group dropped the case after concluding the state had begun complying with the law.
Data show unresponsible gambling, PHAI director says
According to the commission, researchers have been able to apply for access to the data through a new portal since July 10. Spokesperson Thomas Mills said the Massachusetts Gaming Commission hired the University of Massachusetts Amherst Donahue Institute to build the application system and that the work on a data-access framework began in 2016.
PHAI Director Mark Gottlieb said the data is needed to identify harmful gambling patterns and improve regulation.
“The data shows that [gamblers] are using it in a way that is inconsistent with responsible play.”
He added that certain machine features could then be changed or removed to reduce harm.
If qualified researchers can review anonymized player behavior, regulators may gain more evidence about how casino products are being used and whether particular features are linked to risky play.
The case also highlights a gap in Massachusetts law. Gottlieb said sportsbook operators should also be required to share player data, but the 2011 casino law did not impose that requirement on sports betting companies. A pending bill, the Bettor Health Act, would do so.
Based on reporting by Karen Brown for New England Public Media.
