As they push to have Massachusetts expand legal gambling, state lawmakers have produced hundreds of pages of economic studies estimating the new jobs and tax revenue that would be created by opening multiple casinos.
But lawmakers have generated little data to estimate the downside of casinos, the toll that crime and addiction would take on individuals and the expense of additional government services to combat those problems.
Now, as the state Senate begins debate today on casino legislation, opponents are seizing on a study done by neighboring New Hampshire in which researchers went to great lengths to calculate the tradeoffs of expanding gambling. By comparison, the opponents argue, Massachusetts legislators have not done enough to consider the fallout from casinos.
Full story: Downside of gambling raises worry – The Boston Globe