The Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) at Northeastern University, which in 2024 filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) over casino data collection, has dropped the case, saying that the issue has been resolved.
What Was PHAI’s Issue With the MGC?
PHAI based its lawsuit on Section 97 of the Massachusetts 2011 Expanded Gaming Act. According to the lawsuit, MGC failed to comply with Section 97, which requires casino operators to collect player-tracking data and provide anonymized versions to researchers studying gambling behavior.
Under the law, MGC must also contract with a nonprofit organization to remove personally identifiable information before the data is made available to researchers. The anonymized data is intended to help researchers analyze player behavior, including how gambling addiction develops, to inform strategies to reduce problem gambling. Furthermore, the law requires MGC to collect researchers’ findings to support future gambling regulation.
According to the complaint, MGC chose not to begin collecting the required data when the state’s first casino opened in 2015. Even after all three commercial casinos were operating by 2019, the MGC had still not implemented the data collection program mandated by law. PHAI sought a writ of mandamus compelling the Commission to comply with its statutory obligations or a judicial declaration that MGC had failed to fulfill those obligations.
The MGC Complied With the Requirements
PHAI dropped the lawsuit once the MGC took the necessary steps to provide the data, a process which began in 2024 when the lawsuit was initially filed. In a statement, MGC spokesperson Thomas Mills said the MGC had engaged the University of Massachusetts Amherst Donahue Institute to develop a specialized portal for researchers. As of July 10, 2026, they can apply for access to anonymized player data, which has had all personal identifiers removed.
Mills explained that the MGC began this work in 2016, well before the lawsuit was filed, and has diligently worked to create the framework to allow the anonymous transfer and analysis of the data by qualified researchers. However, PHAI director Mark Gottlieb argued that the process could have been completed much sooner if the state had required casinos to provide accessible player data as a condition of obtaining a casino license.
Gottlieb further explained that the organization plans to work with lawmakers to require sportsbooks to provide anonymized customer data for research purposes. He added that comparable player data should also be collected from sports betting operators, whose business in Massachusetts has grown rapidly since the legalization of sports betting in 2023.
In other news from Massachusetts, the state is now offering its lottery online for the first time since it launched in 1972.