The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC)released its 2022 Annual Report, detailing the Commission’s operations from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
The report covers a wide range of topics from financial updates, recommendations for legislative action, results on licensee workforce and supplier diversity goals, casino property and project summaries, division reports, and more.
According to the Commission, FY22 was “a productive year that brought a lot of adaptation and preparation to the MGC.” The composition of the Commission changed with the departure of Commissioner Gayle Cameron, after 10 years of service to the MGC, as well as with the addition of Commissioner Nakisha Skinner.
The Commission also added Commissioner Jordan Maynard at the start of FY23, giving the MGC five Commissioners. The staff at the MGC changed as well, growing by 20% in the fiscal year.
Gross Gaming Revenue reached $1.1 billion in FY22, generating $311.5 million in tax revenue for the Commonwealth.
The Community Mitigation Fund, which provides grant funding to eligible municipalities and government entities located in the vicinity of Massachusetts casinos to advance needs in transportation, community planning, workforce development, and public safety initiatives, awarded approximately $10.6 million in grants in FY22.
Additionally, the MGC’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau helped intercept $3.6 million from unpaid taxes and child support payments.
“Two major focuses of the MGC are promoting responsible gaming and providing tools for patrons to manage their play in the form of programs like the MGC’s Voluntary Self-Exclusion (VSE) and PlayMyWay,” the Commission wrote.
During FY22, 1,150 individuals enrolled in the MGC’s VSE program, which allows people to voluntarily exclude themselves from casino gambling – and now sports wagering – for a predetermined amount of time.
More than 31,000 people also enrolled in PlayMyWay, a free budgeting tool that lets players track their play and receive automatic notifications as they get closer to their pre-set budget amount. PlayMyWay, now available at all three Massachusetts casinos, launched at MGM Springfield at the end of March in FY22.
The Commission has supported a wide range of gambling-related research projects, of which six were released in FY22, adding up to more than 60 reports since 2014. This robust library of research is available for public review on the MGC website.
Throughout FY22, the Commission continued to monitor legislation and prepared for the possibility that the MGC’s regulatory responsibilities would expand if sports wagering were legalized in the Commonwealth, which occurred near the start of FY23 with the signing of An Act to Regulate Sports Wagering.
MGC Chair Cathy Judd-Stein commented: “My fellow commissioners and I are proud of what we have accomplished over the last fiscal year on behalf of the residents of the Commonwealth and invite the public to continue to review those efforts.”
“This Annual Report details the hard work of the entire team at the MGC, and I want to commend them all for their consistent, thorough, and transformative efforts and their genuine commitment to public service during this fiscal year and in the busy period to come,” she concluded.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2023/04/19/66865-massachusetts-sees-ggr-of-11b-during-fy22-generates-311m-in-tax-revenue
