Lasell College Wants to Teach Students How to Run a Casino

Illustration by John Ueland

It could be awhile before casinos are actually operating in Massachusetts, but just in case, Lasell College wants to get students ready for the emerging industry opportunities.

Starting in the fall, the school will add a new degree specifically geared towards Resort and Casino Management, strictly based on the “current competition among developers” for gaming licenses to build casino projects in the state. The degree will be the first of its kind, as no other colleges or universities in Massachusetts offer the option to study the field. “The Resort and Casino Management major will allow present and future students to study a field that is about to dramatically increase in Massachusetts. We believe that this additional major will attract student from within and beyond the region,” according to a statement from Lasell’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, Jim Ostrow.

The new bachelor of science degree option comes at a time when developers are trying their hardest to win over Bay State residents in three different sections of the state so that they can set up massive gaming sites in various cities and towns under the state’s 2011 expanded gambling law.

In the Boston area alone, three casino moguls are competing to win a bid to open up a gaming resort. Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn made a pitch before residents in Everett this month, eyeing a plot along the Mystic River where he could build a $1.2 billion facility. Meanwhile, the Mayor Tom Menino-supported proposal for a Caesar’s resort lingers in East Boston, and Foxwoods continues to poke its nose in the Milford market. Each proposal has promised to bring thousands of both construction and permanent jobs to each region, not to mention a slew of tourists and customers.

Once the chips fall where they may—and the slot machines start popping up—coeds will be ready to set foot in a gaming complex and roll the dice on a new career.

As part of Newton-based private school’s new major, courses will include studies in 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.