The bill mandates the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to conduct an annual research agenda assessing the social and economic impacts of casino gambling and sports wagering, as specified in M.G.L. Chapter 23K 71 and M.G.L. Chapter 23N 23. This research aims to provide evidence-based recommendations to legislative committees, focusing on responsible gambling and problem gambling mitigation. The MGC's strategic plan identifies key research areas, including economic and social impacts, public safety, and responsible gaming evaluations. Findings from the FY25 research agenda reveal both benefits, such as job creation and increased state revenue, and drawbacks, including gambling-related harm and crime. The bill emphasizes the need for improved diversity in the sports wagering workforce and vendor spending, recommending stronger safer gambling measures and ongoing research on gambling impacts.

Additionally, the bill seeks to enhance workforce diversity and support for diverse-owned businesses in the sports gambling industry by establishing diversity goals, standardized recruitment metrics, and strategies to increase participation of diverse vendors. It proposes collaboration with the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office to assist businesses in obtaining diverse business certification and creating a marketing directory for diverse vendors. The bill also allocates a portion of sports wagering tax revenue to support workforce development initiatives for diverse-owned businesses and emphasizes the importance of harm reduction strategies and gambling education programs. Furthermore, it recommends against implementing sports wagering kiosks in Massachusetts due to concerns about their impact on lottery revenue and public health, suggesting that retail sports betting should be integrated into overall casino operations reporting.