Study: Gambling Among New Englanders Down
New Englanders gambled less in 2012 than they did in 2006, according to a recently released survey that could yield some insight into what a slots parlor could mean for Worcester or a resort casino could mean for Milford.
The survey, by the Center for Policy Analysis at UMass Dartmouth, found that 52 percent of residents in five New England states (Vermont wasn't surveyed) participated in some form of legal gambling from January 2012 to January 2013, which was down 7 percentage points from 2006. Casino gambling was the third-most frequent type of gambling in 2012.
The center also found that, as fewer people gamble and as slots revenue has fallen, casinos continue to focus more efforts on non-gaming amenities to attract customers. In 2012, 25 percent of visitors to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and 18 percent of visitors to nearby Foxwoods, did not gamble. The number of visitors to each facility who chose to gamble fell 17 percent over the last six years. Meanwhile, both Connecticut resort casinos saw a 21 percent increase in food expenditures over that time. Spending on shows and concerts has also increased.
The survey also found that people are willing to travel farther to resort casinos, while those who patronize slots parlors or racinos value the convenience offered by close proximity.
Nearly three-quarters of Foxwoods visitors traveled more than an hour to the casino, while 89 percent of visitors to Twin River in Lincoln, R.I., traveled an hour or less.
Over the past year, 78 percent of New Englanders who visited Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun did not visit Twin River or Newport Grand in Rhode Island – which are slot parlors and do not have table games – despite that fact that the latter two gambling facilities are closer to home for many. But 65 percent of visitors to Twin River and Newport Grand also visited one of the Connecticut casinos over the same period.
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