Client
Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC)
Project Details
The Encore Boston Harbor Casino opened in Everett, MA in June 2019, changing much of the infrastructure and environmental spaces in the area. Through a rigorous research agenda, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) aims to understand the social, economic, and other effects of this casino. MGC hired NORC and ICH to together use community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods in a qualitative study that will engage community members in the research process. Over the course of the study, interviews will be conducted in multiple languages with 50 community members from Everett and surrounding cities. Currently, the study design process has led to the development of a community advisory board (CAB) to ensure that community voices can have input into the research design and approach. CBPR methods that will be used in the study include the continuous participation and input of the CAB throughout the project implementation, engaging and training community members to conduct interviews, and in-depth community engagement with follow-up focus groups to better understand the results of the study. The overall goal is for the results of the study to inform future policy work.
