Penn National Gaming, the casino company that owns Plainridge, said it underestimated the effect of nearby Twin River Casino. Police statistics show no increase in crime because of the casino, and problem gambling specialists assigned to the casino report little evidence of compulsive betting, he said. “Everyone talked with this exaggerated sense of anxiety about increases in prostitution, in human trafficking, in drunkenness, but it hasn’t happened.” “The first year shows it’s possible to bring in the positive effects of gambling without the negatives,” Crosby said.
Crosby described Plainridge Park as a clear success, citing the creation of about 500 new jobs and low levels of harmful impacts, such as drunken driving and problem gambling.
