State Readies for Casinos, Newton College Readies Students to Manage Them

Lasell College in Auburndale is responding to future of casinos in Massachusetts by being the first school in the state to offer a bachelor's degree in running them.

According to a Lasell press release, the college will introduce a major in Resort and Casino Management this fall, making it the first in the Commonwealth to offer such a program.

"The Resort and Casino Management major will allow present and future students to study a field that is about to dramatically increase in Massachusetts," said Jim Ostrow, vice president for academic affairs at Lasell, in a press release. "We believe that this additional major will attract student from within and beyond the region, as there are very few Bachelor's degree programs in casino management in the U.S., and none currently in Massachusetts."

The program will fall under the college's Hospitality and Event Management Bachelor of Science degree program, which already offers majors in Hospitality Management and Event Management.

Courses in the new major will include "Regulatory Legal Security Aspects of Casino Operations," "Technology in Casino Operations," "Advanced Resort and Casino Management," and "Legal Issues and Ethics in the Hospitality Industry."

Additionally, Lasell plans to pursue partnerships within the industry in order to provide students with access to "hands-on" training, according to the release.