Commissioners engage a range of experts to discuss the development of Responsible Gaming Framework for Massachusetts slot parlor and resort casinos

WHO:                   Members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission including Chairman Steve Crosby; Commissioner Gayle Cameron; Commissioner James F. McHugh; Commissioner Bruce F. Stebbins and Commissioner Enrique Zuniga; Massachusetts Gaming Commission Director of Research and Problem Gambling, Mark Vander Linden. Panel of experts include Problem Gambling Solutions, CEO Dr. Jeffrey Marotta; Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling Executive Director, Marlene Warner; SEIGMA Team Leader, Dr. Rachel A. Volberg; Harvard Medical School Associate Professor and Cambridge Health Alliance, Director Dr. Howard Shaffer; American Gaming Association Senior Vice President and Executive Director Judy Patterson; Université Laval, Québec Professeur Émérite Dr. Robert Ladouceur; Rutgers University, Associate Professor and Director, Center for Gambling Studies Dr. Lia Nower; National Council on Problem Gambling, Executive Director Keith Whyte and additional research and gaming experts.

WHERE:             Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, 415 Summer Street, Room 151 B

WHEN:                Monday, October 28, 2013 from 9:00am to 5:00 pm

WHAT:                There are numerous provisions in the Expanded Gaming Act to enable the Commission to adopt regulation and take other actions to mitigate harm which may occur through introduction of casinos and slot parlors.  One such strategy is for the Commission to adopt a Massachusetts Responsible Gaming Framework that will guide the development of regulation and assist gaming operators to establish a site-based responsible gambling program. 

This educational forum solely dedicated to the topic of responsible gambling is hosted by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in partnership with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling. This forum provides the Commissioners and the community with an understanding of the basic concepts of responsible gaming.  Information and research on elements and characteristics of a responsible gaming program will be discussed amongst a panel of experts. Key components of a Massachusetts Responsible Gaming Framework will be raised for discussion with Commissioners.

A LIVE STREAM of the forum will be available on the MassGaming homepage.

About MassGaming

The mission of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is to create a fair, transparent, and participatory process for implementing the expanded gaming law passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor in November, 2011. In creating that process, the Commission will strive to ensure that its decision-making and regulatory systems engender the confidence of the public and participants, and that they provide the greatest possible economic development benefits and revenues to the people of the Commonwealth, reduce to the maximum extent possible the potentially negative or unintended consequences of the new legislation, and allow an appropriate return on investment for gaming providers that assures the operation of casino-resorts of the highest quality. For more information on MGC, please visit MassGaming.com or connect and share on Twitter (@MassGamingComm) or Facebook www.facebook.com/MAGamingComm.

About the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

Founded in 1983, the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling is a private, non-profit health agency dedicated to providing leadership to reduce the social, financial, and emotional costs of problem gambling, and to promote a continuum of prevention and intervention strategies including: information and public awareness, community education and professional training, advocacy and referral services for problem gamblers, their loved ones and the greater community.