Council of Churches of Western Mass. to Form Responsible Gaming Council to Help 'Problem Gamblers'
The Council of Churches of Western Massachusetts is creating a gaming council – the "Western Massachusetts Council for Gaming Accountability" - that will be in council with Compulsive Gambling and the National Council on Problem Gambling.
"We evaluated all three Western Massachusetts competitors and while all of them demonstrated a commitment to responsible gaming, MGM Resorts International is the lessor of the evils and as a company has the most impressive track record of supporting responsible gaming," said Archbishop Timothy Paul Baymon, President of the Council of Churches of Western Mass and Founding Chairman of the WMCGA in a statement.
He added, "The MGM Springfield development team in particular showed the greatest commitment to supporting the formation of the WMCGA to mitigate the adverse impacts of gaming on a community. We reached out to all four bidders."
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The nine-member organization will represent "religious, spiritual, academic, behavioral and clinical" viewpoints, according to a press release.
"We have great respect for the Council of Churches and their willingness to address this very important issue," stated Alan Feldman, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for MGM Resorts in a public release. "MGM has a strong history of supporting responsible gaming practices and that starts by partnering with organizations that provide family and social services in the area."
Feldman is also the Chairman of the Board at NCRG, which was founded by major gaming companies in 1996 to fund and assist in the research for responsible gaming. The organization has published over 200 articles and is often considered the leading authority on responsible gaming.
"Our membership has expressed clear concerns about gaming coming to Western Massachusetts. While we are opposed to casinos, there will be a casino coming to Western Massachusetts and if done, responsibly," stated Baymon.
