Researchers to get access to anonymized customer data, as mandated by Massachusetts law since creation of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission more than a decade ago.
Boston, MA (July 23, 2026) –Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) today announced that it has resolved its 2024 lawsuit asking the Massachusetts Superior Court to require the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to meet its obligations under Section 97 of the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act.
Under Section 97 of the Expanded Gaming Act, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is mandated to collect behavioral data from casino licensees and share anonymized customer data with researchers. This data is essential for analyzing gambling patterns, reducing problem gaming and improving regulatory practices.
The Gaming Commission has been subject to the legal requirement to collect such data since its formation in 2011. Yet, for more than a decade, the Commission failed to collect any data from any licensee or make such data available to researchers.
According to Andrew Rainer, PHAI’s Litigation Director, “After PHAI filed suit against the Commission in July 2024, the Commission finally took the steps needed to collect player data from its casino licensees, to anonymize and store the data, and to make the data available to researchers.” As reported in a series of filings made with the Superior Court at PHAI’s request, the Commission entered into a contract with the University of Massachusetts to store and anonymize the data in 2025 and also began collecting the data from casinos. “The Commission completed the process this month,” said Rainer, “by publishing applications researchers can use to apply for access to the data.”
“Mission accomplished!” said Jacob Wolk, the PHAI attorney who drafted the lawsuit. “We are pleased to join with the Commission today in asking the Court to dismiss the lawsuit, because it has achieved its entire purpose.”
PHAI Executive Director Mark Gottlieb added, “This kind of player data should now be collected from sports gambling companies, whose business in Massachusetts has exploded since sports gambling was legalized in 2023. At PHAI, we look forward to working with the Massachusetts legislature to ensure that a similar statutory obligation to share player data, of the kind included in Sen. Keenan’s Bettor Health Act (S.302), is imposed on sports gambling operators here in the Commonwealth.”
PHAI is well known for its work, both nationally and in Massachusetts, in addressing the public health consequences of problem gambling. In December 2023, PHAI filed a class action against DraftKings in Massachusetts to curb alleged unfair and deceptive marketing promotions. The lawsuit received national attention, including on 60 Minutes news program. Earlier this year, PHAI filed suit against DraftKings, FanDuel, Genius Sports and the National Football League for developing and marketing a highly addictive sports gambling product that pushes opportunities to bet on every player in every game 24 hours a day.
About The Public Health Advocacy Institute
The Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) is a non-profit legal research center focused on public health law located at Northeastern University School of Law. In 2014, PHAI formed the Center for Public Health Litigation, a nonprofit law firm, which uses the civil justice system to improve public health by focusing on litigation targeting tobacco industry products, unhealthy foods, deceptive health marketing, and deceptive gambling practices.
To learn more about PHAI, visit phai.org.
To access the Mass Gaming Commission’s casino player data, apply here.
Media Contact: Public Health Advocacy Institute – Mark Gottlieb, mark@phai.org