The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is excited to share its FY15 Annual Report! Check it out:

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is pleased to release its Annual Report recently delivered to the Massachusetts Legislature in accordance with The Gaming Act. This report details the fourth year of Commission operations as of the end of Fiscal Year 2015 (June 30, 2015), and also details anticipated milestones for Fiscal Year 2016.

During FY15 this Commission:

• Issued the Operations Certificate to Penn National at Plainridge Park Casino (PPC).
• Promulgated twelve sets of regulations that govern many important aspects of gaming operations including: administrative hearings, involuntary exclusion, protection of minors, alcohol control, regulatory monitoring & inspections, computation and remittance of gaming revenues and licensee disclosure and reporting requirements.
• Issued the first report of a comprehensive and ambitious research agenda to study the social and economic impacts of the introduction of expanded gaming.
• Continued to oversee the Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing operations in the Commonwealth, and promulgated regulations and two sets of comprehensive amendments to State racing regulations (205 CMR 3.00 and 4.00).
• Made significant progress in constructing the agency that will oversee the licensing and regulatory framework for the operations of the gaming licensees, including several key hires with significant experience in the related fields.
• Held 32 public meetings, and an additional 11 statutory hearings. The Commission streams all its public meetings live via MassGaming.com and we continue to receive significant community feedback expressing confidence in the transparency of all Commission activities. 7.
• Commissioners and other staff continue to attend numerous speaking engagements across the state through the Commission’s successful Speakers Bureau program.

Major Milestones Anticipated for Fiscal Year 16:

The application deadline for the Category 1 License for Region C was September 30, 2015. The sole remaining applicant for this Region’s commercial license is Mass Gaming & Entertainment, which is proposing a casino resort in the Brockton Fairgrounds. Given our experience with the timeframes in Regions A and B, we anticipate that evaluation of the technical proposal (RFA-2) would continue through the first quarter of calendar year 2016, and the Commission may decide on whether to award a commercial license on this region. In parallel to this, the Mashpee Wampanoag received a determination of land-in-trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on September 18, 2015. In this significant milestone for the tribe the Bureau took land into trust in Mashpee and Taunton, where the Tribe intends to build a casino. Given recent cases in other states, the decision by the Bureau could be challenged in court, which could also mean further delays. We will continue to monitor developments associated with this region to ensure that the Commonwealth and the region derive the anticipated benefits from expanded gaming.

The first full year of operations of Plainridge Park Casino will conclude on June 30, 2016. Gaming revenue for the first quarter of FY16 was $46 million which resulted in $22.5 million in revenues to the Commonwealth. Overall, PPC could generate approximately $66 million to Local Aid, and $14 million to the Race Horse Development Fund.

We will continue to study and implement responsible gaming measures. The Commission, in partnership with the Massachusetts Council of Compulsive Gambling, staff and run a 16 hour, 7 days/week GameSense Info Center at Plainridge Park Casino, as well as a voluntary self-exclusion program. Further, we will roll out and evaluate the effects and uptake of a voluntary play management system, in which patrons will be presented with the choice to set a budget for their play, and be reminded of those limits as their play progresses. Both the GameSense program and play management system are unique in the United States.

Harness Racing will continue at Plainridge Racecourse and increase to the statutory 115 days for calendar year 2016. We continue to evaluate the feasibility of Thoroughbred Racing given available monies for purses, and two racing applications received on October 1, 2015.

We will continue to work to maximize the economic benefits from a casino. We convene and connect licensees to the Commonwealth’s workforce and small business resources including career centers, community colleges and supplier diversity offices. We formed an “Access and Opportunity Committee” to bring together stakeholders to focus on local and diverse hiring and contracting, and report, monitor and analyze diversity and affirmative action plans, efforts and results by each licensee.

We will continue to make significant administrative progress in the implementation and staffing of additional functions. Such functions include:

• A Licensing Unit to license and register casino and slots parlor employees and vendors
• A Gaming Technology Unit for the implementation of testing protocols & procedures to ensure the machines and games on the gaming floor are operating as intended
• Promulgation of regulations that govern operations and functions at the gaming establishments