Today, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Office of Workforce, Supplier and Diversity Development presented 2019 annual data, demonstrating the casino industry’s impact on career and business opportunities for Massachusetts residents, with a particular focus on diverse populations. The 2019 Casino Industry Impact Report was presented to the Commission during a virtual public meeting on July 15, 2021.

“2019 marked a notable year for the state’s nascent casino industry: the first time all three casino properties were operational. This data exemplifies the legislative intent to create jobs and business opportunities for Massachusetts citizens. Gaming connects people with opportunity,” said Jill Griffin, director of diversity and legislative affairs. “The Gaming Act prioritized the creation of a diverse and skilled workforce to ensure opportunities for minority, women and veteran-owned businesses. The MGC enthusiastically embraces this mandate and strives to achieve maximum economic benefits from an inclusive and equitable industry.”

In 2019, the state’s expanded gaming industry achieved several milestones. Encore Boston Harbor completed construction of its $2.6 billion property and opened for business in June. MGM Springfield celebrated its first anniversary in August, and Plainridge Park Casino marked its fourth year of operations as the state’s single slots-only licensee.

The MGC compiled this report with data received from Encore, MGM and Plainridge. The information reflects operational phase contributions to workforce and economic development opportunities for diverse residents and business owners.

2019 Highlights include:

• JOB CREATION: More than 9,800 jobs were created by the industry, including 6,910 casino jobs (84% state residents) and more than 2,900 construction jobs.
• WORKFORCE DIVERSITY: Of casino construction and operations employees, more than 4,300 were minority, 3,200 were women, and nearly 400 were veterans.
• DIVERSE VENDOR IMPACTS: Massachusetts casino licensees spent more than $64 million with diverse vendors and suppliers.
• LOCAL IMPACT: The gaming industry spent more than $78.3 million with Massachusetts businesses, including $34.2 million with host and surrounding communities.

A key feature of the gaming law established an ambitious and first-of-its-kind research agenda to comprehensively assess the social and economic impacts of casino gambling in Massachusetts. To streamline data collection, the UMass Donahue Institute, a member of the Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) project team that has been charged with carrying out the MGC’s research agenda, will continue robust data gathering regarding the state’s gaming industry employment and local vendor spending with a concentration on diversity and inclusion. SEIGMA researchers will also review the impact of COVID-19 on casino operations. A data-driven understanding of casino impacts provides MGC with the ability to design evidence-based programming.