The commission was put together by former Governor Jane Swift and received a lot of press when it was leaked that the report would conclude that the economic benefits of legalizing casino gambling will outweigh the social costs. But Governor Mitt Romney managed to diffuse the report's impact even before its official release by quickly announcing that he would conduct his own review of what legalized gambling will mean to the state.

Legislation to bring casino gambling to the state has been introduced before but has never been passed. But the stakes to expand gambling's definition have never been higher than now. Firstly, the state government faces a massive budget shortfall. Also, the Wampanoag tribe of Martha's Vineyard has been trying for years to build a gaming casino. A spokesperson for the tribe has told GlobeSt.com that the tribe acquired a parcel in southeastern Massachusetts for that purpose but has declined to reveal the exact location. The Mashpee Wampanoags, a separate tribe, and the Nipmucs, which are based in Sutton, have also expressed interested in developing a casino in the state, although they have yet to be federally recognized as a tribe. A tribe cannot build a casino without federal recognition of its status.

The report states that "expanded gambling has the potential to bring significant positive economic development impacts to the Commonwealth" emphasizing that the type and location of a casino will make a big difference in the impact. "For example," it says, "the expansion of convenience gambling such as stand-alone electronic gaming devices is unlikely to create jobs or to stimulate real economic development."

The study estimates total gambling revenue to range from $540.9 million to over $1 billion annually for a single casino. It notes that the evidence concerning the effects of expanded gambling on the State Lottery are inconclusive, but it appears likely that the introduction of casino gambling would have a negative effect on instant lottery games. Still, it concludes, "Massachusetts is at little risk for a total revenue loss from expanded gambling; total gambling revenues have increased in every state with a lottery in which casino or slot machine gambling has been introduced." While the report acknowledges that the casino gambling could lead to an increase in the volume in crime, it concludes that the job creation that accompanies casino gambling would have "a positive social impact beyond the value of a paycheck."

But Leslie Bernal, a spokesperson for State Senator Sue Tucker, a vocal opponent of expanding gambling in the state, tells GlobeSt.com that the report "raises more questions than it answers." He maintains that with Romney's study, the report no longer carries much weight. But he says the report "shows how complex the issue is and how much more study needs to be done before we move forward on this."