The Hospitality and Tourism Management department at the University of Massachusetts will launch a new casino management program. UMass will become the only university on the east coast to offer such a program.
The creation of the program coincides with Governor Deval Patrick's move to authorize three resort casinos in the state of Massachusetts. Patrick's proposal has caused a lot of debate, with opposition pointing out problems like the costs of gambling addiction and possible harm to the state's economy. But while different factions wage war over this issue, UMass's Isenberg School of Management is quietly preparing to make an entrance in the furor - by training students as industry executives and managers.
Chris Roberts, professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management and leader of this venture, thinks that Patrick has a very good chance of success.
"The plan would capture revenue and keep it home," said Roberts, referring to the near 32-percent citizen revenue that goes to out-of-state gambling each year. It's a socioeconomic scenario that Roberts has seen before overseas. Singa-pore, like Massachusetts, had to rely on foreign countries to find gambling venues. When it came time for Singapore's government to authorize gambling, Roberts was invited to train their Gaming Board Commission.
"Singapore had to deal with public perception, but they built a lot of com-munity support," Roberts said. "The Governor's doing that now, and he has a good shot at success." Governor Patrick is also putting forth plans for an integrated resort/casino - a large entertainment complex that offers restaurants, shops, entertainment and for-mal meeting facilities. This creates a new market for HTM students, who can choose from five undergraduate study tracks. "We see a chance for all our majors to have careers in these integrated re-sorts," said Roberts. "There is tremendous opportunity here, and we plan to take part in it."
UMass's HTM department responds to industry trends and frequently changes its curriculum to meet demand with a steady supply of trained students. Casino management classes cover a range of topics from the history to the psycho-logical aspects of gaming. UMass has built its expertise and reputation in this industry and attracts resorts like Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods to HTM's career day.
Sruthi Valluri can be reached at valluri@student.umass.edu.
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