Survey reveals casino trends

More than ever, Massachusetts gamblers are putting money into slot machines in Rhode Island, according to a new gambling survey released Monday by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's Center for Policy Analysis.

The study, “Bring It On Home, An Overview of Gaming Behavior in New England,” says that 66 percent of the visitors to Twin River in Lincoln, R.I., were from Massachusetts, compared with 27 percent from Rhode Island.

The survey also shows that gamblers are spending less, traveling fewer miles and want amenities other than gambling when they visit a casino, Clyde Barrow, executive director for the UMass center, said after the study was released.

“Convenience gamblers don't care about bells and whistles, they want to play slot machines and they want to do it close to home,” Barrow said.

But increasingly casino venues are attracting nongamblers with amenities such as shopping, restaurants and entertainment.

“The results show that now about 20 percent of the visitors to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun don't gamble at all,” said Barrow, who has been overseeing the survey on gambling habits for six years. “When we first asked the question, 7 percent said they didn't gamble. That's tripled in six years and that's really a national trend.”

That type of information could help guide decisions made by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission as it weighs proposals from developers in the Bay State, Barrow said. Destination casinos need a mix of retail, spas and entertainment beyond the games to compete, he said.

Stephen Crosby, chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, said developers proposing to build in Massachusetts understand their facilities need to offer attractions beyond slot machines and table games.

“We want Mass. casinos to be innovators,” he said.

The survey shows the number of visits by Massachusetts residents to Twin River increased by 261 percent from 2006 to 2012.

Improvements made at Twin River have attracted more gamblers and with the addition of table games this summer, the Rhode Island facility is likely to continue attracting gamblers from Massachusetts, he said.

The cumulative effect has been an overall reduction in the number of Massachusetts residents who gamble at either Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun, the two Indian casino giants in Connecticut.

Massachusetts residents account for 66 percent, of the decline in the number of visitors to Foxwoods from 2008 to 2012 and 28 percent of the decline in visitors to Mohegan Sun.

With three casinos and a slot parlor planned in Massachusetts, those Connecticut casinos will likely lose even more visitors in the coming years, Barrow said. Mohegan Sun is already feeling the pinch from a slot facility in New York City.

If the single slot parlor in Massachusetts is going to compete with Twin River, which will add table games in July, it will also need more than just an open floor filled with slot machines, he said. “It needs to be a top notch facility,” Barrow said.

Crosby said he's confident Massachusetts casinos can compete. “On the whole we will have our facilities spread out to maximize convenience and have high quality facilities to maximize the experience,” he said.