SPRINGFIELD — The city received a $275,000 grant for ongoing efforts to understand and address gambling-related harm among youth.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved the grant Thursday from the regulator’s Community Mitigation Fund, a pool of money collected from taxes generated by legal betting in Massachusetts.
During last year’s grant cycle, Springfield was awarded about $55,000 awarded funding for the inaugural study, the Springfield Young Adult Gambling Project. Initial funding was used to develop a partnership among a youth advisory board, public health professionals, and researchers to plan the study, according to a news release.
In Massachusetts, 2% of adults have a gambling problem and an additional 8.4% of adults are at risk of developing a gambling disorder, according to research done at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and supported by taxes collected in casinos.
But little data exists looking at the impact of expanded legal gaming on young people. Sports betting attracts young men and became legal in Massachusetts about 18 months ago in early 2023.
“Understanding the gambling-related harms experienced by young people will have a direct impact on strategies developed to prevent and mitigate those harms in the future,” said Interim Chair Jordan Maynard. “Working directly with engaged young people in Springfield will help researchers and the Commission fully understand the impacts of gambling on this population and lead to additional programs designed to mitigate potential harms.”
In May, Gaming Commission members toured Tuesday the Hampden County sheriff’s Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center that the state Gaming Commission has supported with casino revenue for the past nine years.