Submission Title
Opening the door to community. Seeking a deeper understanding of casino impacts and gambling harm
Session Title
Session 3-1-A: Problem Gambling and Vulnerable Communities, Part 2
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation
Location
Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV
Start Date
25-5-2023 9:00 AM
End Date
25-5-2023 10:30 AM
Disciplines
Behavioral Economics | Health Economics | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Urban Studies and Planning
Abstract
Traditional research methods can fail to capture the experience of people of color, vulnerable and marginalized communities. As the Massachusetts Gaming Commission sought to understand the social and economic effects of the new casino industry in the Commonwealth, we developed a line of community driven research. The specific research topic or question is developed through a community driven process. It uses principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). CBPR focuses on social, structural, and physical environmental inequities through the active involvement of community members, organizational representatives, and researchers in all aspects of the research process. To date, this line of research has produced eight reports exploring a wide range of issues relevant to the impacts of casinos in the state, including root causes of problem gambling in the Asian communities, an exploration of problem gambling among veterans at a primary behavioral health clinic, African Americans perspectives of casino gambling, the impact of a “hometown” casino on older adults in the region, and many more. This session will spotlight findings from the research and the merits of CBPR to understand gambling impacts.
Keywords
Community driven research, social determinants of health, health equity, social effects of gaming
Funding Sources
Funding for this research comes from the an assessment and tax on Massachusetts casino licensees including Penn Entertainment, Wynn Resorts and MGM.
Opening the door to community. Seeking a deeper understanding of casino impacts and gambling harm
Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV
Traditional research methods can fail to capture the experience of people of color, vulnerable and marginalized communities. As the Massachusetts Gaming Commission sought to understand the social and economic effects of the new casino industry in the Commonwealth, we developed a line of community driven research. The specific research topic or question is developed through a community driven process. It uses principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). CBPR focuses on social, structural, and physical environmental inequities through the active involvement of community members, organizational representatives, and researchers in all aspects of the research process. To date, this line of research has produced eight reports exploring a wide range of issues relevant to the impacts of casinos in the state, including root causes of problem gambling in the Asian communities, an exploration of problem gambling among veterans at a primary behavioral health clinic, African Americans perspectives of casino gambling, the impact of a “hometown” casino on older adults in the region, and many more. This session will spotlight findings from the research and the merits of CBPR to understand gambling impacts.