Proposal to Host the 2011 National Council on Problem Gambling s 25 th Anniversary Conference in Boston, Massachusetts

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1 Proposal to Host the 2011 National Council on Problem Gambling s 25 th Anniversary Conference in Boston, Massachusetts Executive Summary: The birthplace of the American Revolution, the abolitionist movement and other battles of human rights can be found in no other city than Boston, Massachusetts. The city, known as the cradle of liberty, is the proposed site for the 2011 National Council on Problem Gambling s Annual Conference. The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling (herein after The Mass. Council ) has teamed with The New England Consortium on Problem Gambling and the major gaming industries in Massachusetts and Connecticut to develop this complete proposal. All entities welcome and invite the National Council on Problem Gambling to hold its 25 th Anniversary Conference in Boston from June 30 th to July 2 nd, 2011 and to host its Board of Directors meetings prior to the Conference. The proposed site for the 2011 Conference is The Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers, a beautiful and historic hotel in the heart of Boston equipped with every modern-day convenience. Conference attendees can easily reach the hotel from major airports, Amtrak stations and interstate highways. They can ride the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA or T), Boston s public transportation system, or walk to all major Boston landmarks and highlights. The $149/night rate through the July 4 th holiday is unmatched in the city of Boston and its surrounding areas. All requirements for the conference and meeting space have been met and exceeded. The Mass. Council and the New England Consortium members bring decades of experience, eager and plentiful staff and volunteers, and strong connections to local 12-step meetings, treatment centers and universities and colleges all points that boost the strength of Boston as a prime location for the 2011 conference. Hotel and Meeting Space Information The Mass. Council has selected a hotel for the location of the 2011 National Conference on Problem Gambling that is rich in history, centrally located, and perfectly able to accommodate the conference and all attendees. The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, fresh from a recent $20 million renovation that updated the appearance and technology of guest rooms while preserving the history and charm of the hotel, has been the chosen hotel by American Presidents, celebrities and events of all sizes for the past 82 years. It is a beautiful hotel with excellent amenities, including a health club, wireless internet capabilities in each room and a number of restaurants on site and in close proximity. The Boston Park Plaza boasts a prime location in the center of Boston adjacent to the Boston Common and Public Garden, and just minutes from Boston s financial, business, academic and medical centers. A number of dining options, as well as shopping, site-seeing and touring opportunities are very nearby. The Boston Park Plaza is just three miles from Logan International Airport and is accessible by public transportation. As a walkable city and with the Boston Park Plaza centrally located, Boston is an ideal location for this conference.

2 The Boston Park Plaza contains 941 guestroom and suites and 36 function rooms that hold from 10 to 2,000 people. Please find attached a proposal from the Boston Park Plaza, which details the specific offerings for the National Conference on Problem Gambling in June 2011 (see Appendix). The hotel has met all requirements for guest accommodations, including a discounted rate of $ per night through Monday, July 4, 2011, in the event that any conference attendees would like to remain in Boston for Independence Day festivities. The meeting space requirements have been met as well, with all rooms located on either the Mezzanine floor, where the ballrooms are located, or close by on the fourth floor, where excellent meeting rooms and a reception/registration area exist, as well as space for breaks and snacks. The hotel has reserved extra rooms for the two conference days if additional breakout or meeting space is needed. City Area Transportation Travelers have a number of options for getting to and from Boston. Boston Logan International Airport, New England s largest transportation center, served 28,102,455 passengers in 2007 and handled 399,537 flights. Logan Airport has five passenger terminals, A, B, C, D and E (International Gateway), each with its own ticketing, baggage claim, and ground transportation facilities, and it has 102 gate positions. Travelers will find numerous carriers and flights to and from most cities in the United States and internationally. Transportation to the Boston Park Plaza from Logan Airport may be arranged via taxi, water shuttle, airport shuttle service and the T, which is the most cost effective mode. In addition to air travel, conference participants may travel to Boston by train. Amtrak services Boston from two downtown locations, North and South Stations, in close proximity via taxi and public transportation, or on foot to the Boston Park Plaza. Train service includes the Northeast Regional train from Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York, and New Haven; and The Downeaster train from Southern Maine and Southern New Hampshire. Bus service is also widely available in Boston through terminals at North and South Stations. Once in Boston, travelers will find many options for seeing Boston on foot as well as by taxi, tour bus or MBTA. The hotel is convenient to many T stops. The T runs daily service on buses, boats, trains and trolleys throughout Boston and surrounding towns. And, since Boston boasts the first subway in the United States, built in 1897, travelers can take in some history while riding. City/ Area Profile Boston is the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, at 89.6 square miles, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. This vibrant, thriving city is renowned for its cultural facilities, worldclass educational institutions, champion sports franchises, as well as its place at the very forefront of American history (City of Boston.gov, Office of Special Events and Tourism, 2009). Boston had an estimated 2007 population of 599,351 (United States Census Bureau, 2009). Boston hosts over 12 million visitors annually (City of Boston.gov), and has earned some notable rankings in recent surveys. Among these are Forbes Traveler s 25 Most Visited Tourist Sites in which Boston s Faneuil Hall ranked fourth with 20 million visitors in 2008; and, Forbes Traveler s America s 30 Most Visited Cities in which Boston ranked sixteenth with 17.6 million visitors in In

3 addition, Boston ranked tenth in number of overseas visitors to United States cities in (U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, 2009). Travelers give high ratings (with scales of 1 to 25) to Boston for its cultural offerings, including classical music (2), museums, galleries, theater (5), historic sites and monuments (2) (Travel and Leisure, 2008). Travel and Leisure also rated Boston highly in some visitor experience areas, including noteworthy neighborhoods (4), public transportation (5) and pedestrian friendliness (5). In addition, Boston made top marks as a Cultural Getaway (4) (Travel and Leisure, 2008). The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism reported that in 2008 there were 9,086,755 visitors at 24 major museums, attractions and institutions statewide, a nearly 2% increase over The Pew Research Center in 2008 ranked Boston the most favored Northeast City in which to live and it was ranked sixth in the nation for sustainability in a 2008 SustainLane.com study, the nation s largest online community dedicated to healthy, sustainable living. Area Attractions / Entertainment A wonderful time of year to visit Boston is late June, when the average temperature is 77 degrees by day and 59 degrees at night, and when the City is beautiful with spring flowers in bloom and is bustling with tourists and visitors. The final days of June feature Harborfest, a six-day-long 4 th of July festival that showcases Boston s colonial heritage and celebrates the city s initiation of the American Revolution. Harborfest features free concerts, bands, vendor samplings, coordinated tours of Boston s historic sites and culminates with the July 4 th Boston Pops Concert and fireworks display. In addition to 4 th of July celebrations, June in Boston is filled with activity and opportunity. Sightseeing tours include: the Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile red brick or red painted line that travels through Boston geographically and historically; Boston Duck Tours, amphibious landing vehicles retrofitted to tour Boston s streets and splash in the Charles River; Trolley Tours; Harbor Tours; and, bike and foot sightseeing tours. Boston is home to many museums and attractions. A sampling of these includes: The Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, The Museum of Science, The Institute of Contemporary Art, the New England Aquarium, The John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum, and Fenway Park. A number of theater and performing arts venues are also located in Boston. Among these are The Boston Ballet, The Huntington Theater, The American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, The Boston Lyric Opera, and The Bank of America Pavilion on Boston Harbor, featuring outdoor concerts in summer months. All of the above-mentioned tourist and cultural attractions can be easily reached from the Boston Park Plaza. The hotel is located in the historic Back Bay section of Boston, a dynamic area with thriving restaurants and nightlife. A number of additional attractions are an easy walk from the hotel, including the Boston Common, the oldest park in the United States; the Public Garden, a beautiful park where visitors can ride the famous 100 year old Swan Boats; and Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market, a historically significant and vibrant marketplace built in 1742 that served as a commercial center and site for famous orations. Certified Gambling Counselors/Treatment in the area While Boston is an ideal location for its landmarks, history and charm, it is also the hub of a state committed to addressing the needs of its citizens. In that vein, the Mass. Council works closely with the State Department of Public Health and its Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (DPH/BSAS). The state contracts with substance abuse agencies that have expertise on staff to treat gambling disorders.

4 Currently there are 10 outpatient problem gambling treatment centers and an open proposal process to which more are expected to be procured by Fall Also, through that relationship with DPH/BSAS, the Mass. Council established a Mass. Problem Gambling Specialist (MAPGS) certificate in Currently there are 33 MAPGS clinicians in the Commonwealth and many more in process. In addition, many clinicians in the state have a general or gambling-specific Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS) certification. GA/Gam-Anon meetings in the area In the Massachusetts and surrounding states, there are a total of 67 weekly GA, BA and Gam Anon meetings. Of this, 52 are in Massachusetts. The remaining are located in states that are closest to Massachusetts, including Vermont, which has one meeting weekly, Rhode Island, which holds nine weekly meetings and New Hampshire, which holds four weekly GA/Gam-Anon meetings. Two of the weekly Mass. GA meetings take place at the Mass. Council offices in Boston. Potential Competition from Gaming and Non-Gaming Conferences While there are a few other North American problem gambling conferences of a size similar to the National Council s conference, they are offered at other times of the year. The Responsible Gambling Council of Ontario typically offers its conference in April in Ontario. The National Center for Responsible Gaming typically offers its conference in November in Las Vegas. The International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking will not take place again until Within Boston, the only major conference currently scheduled to coincide with the proposed National Council on Problem Gambling s conference is The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and Marketplaces Conference, which expects 10,375 people in attendance. Local Gaming The New England area is home to all types of gaming establishments, including, but not limited to: casinos and casino boats, racetracks, and lotteries. Massachusetts has one of the most successful lotteries in the country and anticipates that by 2011 it will also have legalized some form of slot parlor or casino-type betting. The specific revenue information from the Mass. based establishments and the two large casinos in Connecticut are listed below. Massachusetts Lottery, From: Revenue (FY08) 4,709,000,000 Operators (Retailers) 7,332 Employees 406 Massachusetts Charitable Gaming (part of the Lottery Commission) From: Revenue (I.e., money spent; 2002) $37,100,000 Licensed Organizations (2002) 432 Massachusetts Racing From: Revenue (2007) $316,623,520

5 Employees (Direct and Indirect; 2007) 6000 Licensed Individuals (2007)* 5200 Licensed Associations (2007)** 5 *includes jockeys, drivers, trainers, assistant trainers, owners of racing animals, blacksmiths, racing officials, kennel owners, vendors, stable employees, leadouts and mutual clerks **Massasoit Greyhound Association and Taunton Dog Track, Inc., both located in Raynham, MA, and Wonderland Greyhound Park, Inc. located in Revere, MA, to conduct greyhound racing in The Commission issued a running horse racing license to Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, LLC located in East Boston MA., to conduct thoroughbred racing in calendar year The Commission issued a harness horseracing license to Ourway Realty, LLC to conduct standardbred racing at a facility known as Plainridge Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casinos From: Revenue (FY08) 19,443,408,402 Active Licenses (FY08) Host Information The Mass. Council has offered numerous training opportunities since its inception in It first offered an eight-day course and now offers up to 10 regional and 300 onsite trainings annually across New England, and four different online courses to interested individuals from across the globe. The pinnacle of the training season is the Mass. Council s conference event. The Mass. Council has been a host or sponsor of 18 conferences since The Council has hosted 11 conferences in Massachusetts and co-sponsored 7 New England Conferences on Problem Gambling. The responsibilities involved in these events have ranged from content development, site logistics and management, event promotion and post-conference follow-up. While the Mass. Council has taken the lead in many of these conferences, it has also worked closely with organizations that make up the New England Consortium. The organizations that make up the Consortium can be found in the Appendix. In anticipation of this proposal, the Mass. Council has asked its partners, supporters, and affiliates to send letters of support. In the Appendix there is clear documentation (18 letters) that this conference will be supported by New England-wide treatment, recovery, and academic institutions. The Mass. Council has also received verbal support from the Harvard Medical School s Division on Addictions and the New Hamphire and Maine Councils on Problem Gambling. The Mass. Council and the entire New England Consortium will rely heavily upon their committed staff and board of directors. A list of those individuals for the Mass. Council can be found in the Appendix. Conclusion and Contact Information This proposal has been submitted by the Mass. Council and the New England Consortium with anticipation of an excellent conference experience in Boston in Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to Marlene Warner at or marlene@masscompulsivegambling.