Massachusetts’ new responsible gambling program appears to be at least partly achieving its goals, according to initial results.

This week, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) received the initial report on its PlayMyWay (PMW) responsible gambling program at the state’s only currently operational gaming venue, Penn National Gaming’s slots-only Plainridge Park Casino (PPC).

The PMW play management system alerts users via text message when they reach 50% and 75% of their pre-planned gambling budget – be that daily, weekly or monthly – with other messages issued when they hit 100% and for every 25% over that budget.

On Tuesday, the Cambridge Health Alliance, Division on Addiction revealed that 8,856 PPC patrons – about 8.8% of Marquee Rewards cardholders – had signed up to be PMW guinea pigs. The average age of PMW users was 54 years, “significantly younger than the non-users.”