BOSTON -- As Massachusetts gets closer to having two full casinos in operation, a study shows that, since 2015, the public has become more accepting of legalized gambling, and there has been little evidence of harm as measured in such things as the amount of crime, divorces, or even in the number of home foreclosures.

At the same time, Plainridge Park Casino, a slots parlor operating for three years in Plainville, has contributed millions into to the state and local economy through taxes, employee salaries and payments to vendors.

Those were the findings of a report from researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst presented Thursday to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in Boston.

The report, titled "Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts," but better known by its acronym, SEIGMA, is part on an ongoing project to measure the impact as Massachusetts fully embraces casino gambling. It was created and funded by the commission in 2013 as Massachusetts first considered legalized gambling.

The 2018 survey is based on information up to July. That means it has no data related to the impact of MGM Springfield, which did not open until the end of August.

With the Springfield casino only in operation for a little more than three months and the Encore Boston Harbor casino opening six months away, there is only so much the study can say about the positive and negative impacts of gambling.

But Rachel A. Volberg, an associate UMass professor and the main researcher on the project, said the study provides a good snapshot of what things are like before casino gaming in Massachusetts is in full swing.

"We feel this is an important milestone," she said.

The report provides a framework "for what we may see and be able to monitor going forward," she said.

"This is the type of report we are going to produce over the next several years as we look at the impact of MGM in Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor," she said.

Mark Melnik, director of economic and public policy research at the UMass Donahue Institute, said, "It is the goal of our research to provide a deep analysis of all of the various elements related to expanded gaming and to help inform the public and policy makers on this important and emerging sector in the Massachusetts economy."

Taking a look at the impact of Plainridge Park, which opened in 2015, the survey found no major changes in social or health impact either in Plainville or in the surrounding communities.

It found "no significant change" in areas that could be associated with problem gambling, including the number of divorces or separations and suicides or attempted suicides, reported cases of child neglect, or in the excess use of alcohol or drugs. There also was no charge in bankruptcies, housing foreclosures or the number of people seeking help for gambling addiction.

Statewide the percentage of nongamblers declined from 26 percent to 16 percent, recreational gamblers increased from 63 to 71 percent, and people considered problem gamblers saw a marginal increase from 2 to 3 percent.

In the communities around Plainridge Park, the percentage of nongamblers, recreational gamblers, and problem gamblers remained largely unchanged at around 19 percent, 70 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

The study found an increase in reported crime at Plainridge Park, as the number of reported larcenies, fraud, suspicious activity, lost property and traffic problems increased at the slots parlor, compared to when it operated solely as a race track. But it found no corresponding increase in crimes in the town of Plainville or in any of the surrounding communities that could be tied to the slots parlor. The number of property crimes in those areas declined in 2016-17 compared to 2010-15.

It also found changes in attitudes toward gambling over the last two years on how state residents feel about legalized gambling.

Since 2014, the percentage of those who feel all gambling should be outlawed has dropped dramatically, from 12.8 percent to 5.5 percent. The percent of people who feel some form of legal gambling is OK has grown from 55 percent to nearly 70 percent.

Social and Economic Impacts of Expanded Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) 2018 report uploaded by Patrick Johnson on Scribd

It notes Plainfield Park Casino has had a clear economic impact to the region.

Penn National spent $150 million in construction costs and 86 percent of that money was spent in Massachusetts.

Plainridge Park generated an estimated $185 million in revenue in 2017. Ninety-five percent of this was from gambling.

It also found that 11.4 percent of customers were from Plainville or surrounding communities, 66.5 percent were from elsewhere in Massachusetts, and 19.2 percent were from out of state.

The largest source of revenue is considered "recaptured revenue," defined as money from state residents who would have gambled outside Massachusetts if Plainridge Park were not there.

Plainridge in its first full year generated $129 million in operational expenses, which broke down as $81 million in gaming taxes to Massachusetts, $30 million to vendors, and $17.8 million in salaries.

It hired primarily people from the region, with only 28.7 percent hired from out of state. Also 15 percent of new employees were previously unemployed and 34.7 percent were under-employed.

It notes MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor will also have a positive impact since each spent "a considerable amount" in construction and in payroll.

MGM Springfield spent nearly $1 billion in construction, while the Boston casino has a projected construction cost of $2.5 billion.

The report concludes by saying that the findings in the 2018 report do not necessarily reflect the social and economic impact in the future once the data from the Springfield and Boston casinos are included in the mix.

The next SEIGMA report will be published in 2020.