This report, prepared by Justice Research Associates, LLC, under the guidance of Dr. Noah J. Fritz, assesses the impact of gambling on public safety in Massachusetts cities and towns, with a specific focus on the Plainridge Park Casino region. The study spanning from 2010 to 2023 aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of crime trends, hotspots, and potential mitigating strategies.

Since its opening in June 2015, Plainridge Park has shown crime and call-for-service totals commensurate with similarly sized facilities. The surrounding community has experienced little impact on most crimes and calls for service. However, the casino may have influenced an increase in credit card fraud, identity theft, and “con games” in the region, although more analysis is needed. The
presence of the casino also seems related to increases in traffic collisions, lost property, and citizen complaints of traffic problems, which are expected with extra traffic and people in the area. The analysis is complicated by changes in reporting practices at several of the participating agencies. The methodology involved data collection from the records systems of Plainville, Attleboro, Mansfield, North Attleborough, Wrentham, and the State Police RAMS system. The data were merged and translated into a common database.