The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has settled a legal dispute with the Public Health Advocacy Institute and opened anonymized casino player records to academic researchers. The data sharing program fulfills a state mandate originally established in 2011.
The regulator previously failed to distribute the information despite the statutory obligation. PHAI initiated litigation to enforce compliance with the 2011 directive. The commission has now updated its data handling procedures to align with the legal requirement.
Data Access and Research Scope
Researchers can now review anonymized customer records from state-licensed casinos. The commission stripped personal identifiers from the datasets before distribution. Academic groups will use the information to study gambling patterns and player behavior across Massachusetts venues.