Introduction Massachusetts Has Long Been a Leader in the Lottery Industry, Particularly When It Comes to Sales and Innovation, B
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Introduction Massachusetts has long been a leader in the lottery industry, particularly when it comes to sales and innovation, but we also take the social issues around responsible gambling very seriously. While we want the public to enjoy playing our games, we want people to play responsibly and within their means. The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission (MSLC) has a long-standing relationship with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling (MCCG), dating back to 1988 when the Council first secured legislation to provide funding from state Lottery revenues to address problem gambling. Since then, the MSLC has provided funding to support the Council’s outreach and programs for people who need assistance with gambling problems. These services include hotline, treatment centers, education and awareness programs and public service announcements. The MSLC’s responsible gambling practices are guided by a team of management-level staff members, led by the Executive Director, who work together to achieve the following: Ensure that playing the lottery remains a fun and safe form of entertainment by assisting players in making informed decisions about their gambling participation Inform those who may be adversely affected by gambling that assistance is available and where they can go to seek this assistance Discourage underage play Educate employees and retailers about effective responsible gambling practices Learn from industry research and practices and apply to our responsible gambling strategy Continue to enhance responsible gambling practices as new technologies and resources are developed The MSLC is honored to have been selected to participate in this program and we look forward to building upon our existing responsible gambling program and practices. Background The MSLC was created by the state legislature in 1971 as a means of generating revenues for the 351 cities and towns of the Commonwealth. To provide an operating structure for the MSLC, the legislature established a five-member commission that includes the State Treasurer as Chairperson, the Secretary of Public Safety, the State Comptroller, and two gubernatorial appointees. The MSLC sold its first ticket in 1972. In 1974, the MSLC revolutionized the lottery industry when it introduced the first instant ticket game. The MSLC began offering KENO in 1993. The MSLC’s current product line consists of instant tickets, three in-state draw games – The Numbers Game, Mass Cash and Megabucks Doubler; three multi-state games – Lucky for Life, Mega Millions and Powerball; and two monitor games – KENO and All or Nothing. The MSLC also oversees Charitable Gaming in the state. In its 45-plus years of existence, the MSLC has returned over $24.6 billion in net profit to the Commonwealth. These funds are the largest source of unrestricted local aid for the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The MSLC employs a staff of approximately 400 and has approximately 7,500 retail partners. 1. Research a. Does your lottery plan to conduct or collaborate on any research on RG topics in your jurisdiction, and if so, what will be examined? The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission’s (MSLC) Executive Director is an appointed member of the Massachusetts Public Health Trust Fund Executive Committee, a legislatively- mandated fund made up of assessments from the state’s expanded gaming licensees for the purpose of funding gaming research, responsible gaming programs, and problem gambling mitigation for the Commonwealth. The University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health & Health Sciences (SPHHS) has been engaged by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to carry out a comprehensive, multi-year research project, believed to be the first of its kind, on the social and economic impacts of introducing casino gambling in Massachusetts. The project was established per the requirements of the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act, which requires the MGC to establish “an annual research agenda” to assist in understanding the social and economic effects of the introduction of casino gambling in MA, and in making annual scientifically-based recommendations to the Legislature. The study focuses particularly on problem gambling, but also examines a wide array of social and economic effects of expanded gambling in Massachusetts. The MSLC is an active participant in the ongoing study, providing extensive data on an annual basis (links to reports). The MSLC supports research efforts through legislatively-mandated Lottery funding of the MCCG and the MSLC Executive Director’s appointment to the Massachusetts Public Health Trust Fund Executive Committee. The MSLC will ask vendors that supply our terminals to be able to provide transactional information that could be used towards future responsible gambling projects. The MSLC will include questions pertaining to responsible gambling in player focus groups beginning this calendar year. b. What steps will be taken to ensure key decision-makers in your lottery are made aware of innovations in RG research? Key MSLC decision-makers are made aware of such innovations through a number of channels, including their ongoing dialogue with the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling (MCCG), attending MCCG conferences, participation in the New England Consortium on Problem Gambling and the Massachusetts Partnership for Responsible Gambling (MPRG), and the Executive Director’s membership in the Massachusetts Public Health Fund Executive Committee. Key MSLC decision-makers subscribe to the Cambridge Health Alliance’s Division of Addiction BASIS (The Brief Addiction Science Information Source). c. Title(s) of staff member(s) responsible for this part of the program. Executive Director Director of Communications Director of Employee Assistance d. How will your objectives be achieved? Objectives will be achieved through: 1) The MSLC’s continued participation in State’s Public Health Trust Fund Executive Committee (established in 2014), and the UMass-Amherst SPHHS’s studies (begun in 2013), 2) The application of research findings, 3) The MSLC’s continued funding of the MCCG The MSLC will establish an internal responsible gambling committee consisting of representatives from marketing, product development, sales, communications, legal, information technology, customer service, human resources and security. e. Timeline for implementation The MSLC has been participating in the aforementioned programs since their inceptions and will continue our involvement, while also continuing to fund the MCCG, as mandated by the state legislature. The MSLC plans on establishing its responsible gambling committee by the end of the 2017 calendar year. The MSLC will begin incorporating questions pertaining to responsible gambling in player focus groups in calendar year 2017. f. Plan for monitoring and evaluation The MSLC will track the UMass-Amherst SPHHS’s annual studies to identify trends that may provide insight into the effectiveness of our responsible gambling initiatives. The MSLC will work to identify additional statistical data that could be shared with SPHHS researchers. 2. Employee Training a. What employee training policies and procedures will be in place for both new and existing employees? The MSLC currently works with the MCCG to schedule and conduct training sessions for new employees on a regular basis. The title of the training sessions, which are led by the Executive Director of the MCCG, is “Your Role in Keeping Gambling Fun: Addressing Responsible and Problem Gambling.” The sessions include definitions, an explanation of the cycle of addiction, data, signs and symptoms, case studies and tips on what employees can do to help promote responsible gambling. This presentation has been included in our submission in a Power Point file titled “MSLC employee training – June 2016.” The MSLC will continue to require new employees to participate in a responsible gambling training session. The MSLC will work with the MCCG to develop department-specific training that will address topics that are most applicable to the functions of respective departments. Examples include training for customer service representatives who have direct interaction with customers, training for field representatives that spend considerable time visiting retailers, and training for the marketing team that develops and promotes new and existing products. The MSLC will include responsible gambling content in its employee newsletter. An example from a previous edition has been included in our submission in a JPEG file titled, “The Lottery Ledger – March 2016.” b. How will the NASPL RG video training series be utilized? The NASPL RG video training video will be included in the MCCG training sessions. c. What will be your objectives in this area, and how will they be measured? The MSLC’s objective in this area is to ensure that all employees understand the importance of responsible gambling and apply their understanding to their specific roles and responsibilities within the MSLC. The MSLC will monitor, evaluate and report on the number of staff that have received training and the type of training they have received on an annual basis. d. Title(s) of staff member(s) responsible for this part of the program. Director of Human Resources e. Timeline for implementation The MSLC will continue to conduct training sessions for new employees regularly. The MSLC will work to implement additional department-specific training by the end of the 2018 calendar year. The MSLC will begin to