Legal in-person sports betting began last week in Massachusetts at the state’s three casinos.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is targeting early March for the launch of mobile betting.
Mindful that the expansion into sports wagering could increase the number of residents addicted to gambling, the regulators have required each sportsbook operator, both in-person and digital, to produce plans to prevent problem gambling.
Additionally, people can voluntarily request that they be barred from placing bets at a sportsbook or on a mobile app.
To find out how effective these efforts might be, WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with Rachel Volberg, of the UMass Amherst School of Public Health. She is a researcher for the gaming commission on the economic and social impacts of gambling.
