A few Massachusetts communities have spent close to $500,000 in casino mitigation funding on surveillance cameras that are currently used to track vehicle license plates.
Their decision raised concerns regarding privacy, transparency, and whether the money is being used for its intended purpose.
The Official Justification
The funding comes from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Community Mitigation Fund, which was set up to assist towns and cities with addressing the negative effects of having casinos in their proximity.
The grants are financed through casino tax revenue and are meant to support projects addressing issues such as traffic congestion, public safety, and gambling addiction.
However, an investigation by WBUR found that a total of nine Massachusetts communities used part of their grants over the past three fiscal years to purchase automated license plate readers, most of them manufactured by Flock Safety.
Local police departments justified the purchases by arguing that the cameras would help monitor traffic connected to nearby casinos. Some were installed along highways and roads leading to casino properties.
However, the technology captures every vehicle passing the cameras, not just casino visitors. The collected information is then stored in databases that law enforcement agencies in other communities, and sometimes in other states too, can access without a warrant.
Some Communities Gave Up the Contracts
The spending has sparked criticism from both residents and civil liberties organizations. One example comes from Agawam’s city councilor Christine Rickmon who said residents were surprised to discover the cameras had been installed without a broader public discussion.
The official also went on to question the town’s justification for the purchase, which included claims about parents allegedly dropping children at Six Flags New England before heading to the nearby MGM Springfield casino.
Agawam was among several communities that used the grants for surveillance equipment. Others included Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Ludlow, Wilbraham, Plainville, North Attleborough, Wrentham and Chelsea.
Privacy advocates say the issue goes beyond individual purchases, with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts raising concerns about police departments adopting surveillance technology without sufficient public consultation.
Several communities have since suspended or canceled their contracts.
There is also concern about how little of the casino mitigation funding reaches gambling addiction programs.
According to WBUR’s analysis, the Gaming Commission distributed $38.5 million over the past three years, but only 5% went toward problem gambling prevention and treatment, despite the category being added to the grant program in 2023.
Timothy Fong, co-director of UCLA’s Gambling Studies Program, explained that investments in gambling prevention and treatment could eventually provide better public health benefits in the long term compared to the expansion of surveillance infrastructure.