Legalized casino gambling in Massachusetts won’t harm the success of the state Lottery, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Grossman predicted.

"History shows us the lottery takes a small hit initially and then bounces back. I expect that to be the case here in Massachusetts,” Grossman told the Republican newspaper of Springfield during a meeting with its editorial board.

In fiscal year 2014, the Massachusetts State Lottery posted a $971 million profit, $34 million more than anticipated in the state budget. Grossman said he doesn’t think the licensing of up to three casinos and one slots parlor won’t hurt the lottery’s success.

"We know, already, that Mass. people spend a little less than $900 million a year in Connecticut and Rhode Island. If you take that and divide it by four, that’s a lot of money staying in the commonwealth," Grossman told the newspaper. “We have to look at the jobs, economic opportunity and the money we can invest based on what the casinos will deliver in the state."

Grossman is running against Attorney General Martha Coakley and Don Berwick, former Medicare and Medicaid administrator, in the Democratic party’s primary on Sept. 9.