Study debunks gambling-crime relationship

Crime and gambling doesn’t go hand in hand like Bonnie and Clyde.

Or so says crime analyst Christopher Bruce who presented the conclusion of his 12-month study before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), which debunked the old-aged myth being peddled by anti-gambling advocates.

“The presence of the casino does appear to be related to an increase in types of calls for service expected with an increase in traffic and people to an area including collisions, lost property and citizen complaints about traffic problems,” the MGC said in a statement.

For decades, anti-gambling proponents had been sounding alarm bells that community crime rates increase in areas where gambling facilities are located.