As Massachusetts nears a dramatic expansion of legal gambling with the licensing of casinos the state has hired an internationally recognized expert on gambling addiction.
Mark Vander Linden was introduced on Thursday as the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s first Director of Research and Problem Gambling. His job will be to come up with ways to prevent people from becoming addicted to gambling in the first place, and design treatment programs for those who do.
Massachusetts will require casino operators to pay at least $5 million annually into a fund for prevention and treatment of problem gambling. A percentage of the tax on casino revenues also goes into the fund. In addition casinos must have on site addiction counseling.
