Sports betting is not currently legal in Massachusetts, but that could change by the end of the year.
- Mass Sports Betting
- Does Massachusetts Have Sports Betting
- Is Sports Betting Legal In Massachusetts
- Sports Betting App Massachusetts Online
Massachusetts is a relatively small state, though when it does introduce sports betting it seems highly likely online sports betting will be part of the package. In fact, in early 2019, Gov. Charlie Baker proposed that Massachusetts become an “online-only” state for sports betting, much like the case in Tennessee. New England’s Other Sports Betting Options. Massachusetts’ struggles have been the rest of New England’s gain. Rhode Island and New Hampshire both allow statewide mobile sports betting. Connecticut and Maine have both struggled with their sports betting bills, but Massachusetts’s delays still give them a potential head start.
Two of its neighbors, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, allow mobile betting. With Boston under an hour’s drive to either state line, Massachusetts needs to get its own betting laws on the books to keep tax revenue in the state.
The future of sports betting in Massachusetts
It seems the Massachusetts legislature realizes it needs to act quickly on legalizing sports betting.
The legislature is expected to explore legalizing sports betting in fall 2020. There were multiple attempts to legalize sports betting at the end of the 2020 formal legislative session through an economic development bill.
The House gave overwhelming support for H 4887, which included mobile and retail sports betting. But the Senate refused to include any sports betting language in its version.
There is an informal session that runs through the end of the year, however.
Mass Sports Betting
Massachusetts has multiple channels that could operate sports betting. The lottery, casinos, racetracks and online operators could all play a role in the market.
Does Massachusetts Have Sports Betting
When will online sports betting launch in Massachusetts?
Online sports betting is not yet legal in Massachusetts, so it’s hard to put a definitive timeline on its launch.
Is Sports Betting Legal In Massachusetts
If sports betting is legalized in the state by the end of 2020, online sports betting would likely be live sometime in 2021.
Recent MA sports betting and DFS stories
Analysis: There Are 14 Massachusetts Sports Betting Bills But Which Can Make It?
Legal sports betting in Massachusetts clearly has support with 14 bills filed this session. Now legislators have to figure out which one is best. Of those 14 bills, there are a total of 11 different proposals. Two bills already have counterparts in the opposite chambers while another two House proposals are similar other than where […] Read MoreMassachusetts may not only legalize sports gambling. The state may eventually become a new hub for online sports wagering.
In January of 2019, Gov. Charlie Baker proposed a bill that would make Massachusetts the second state in the nation (following the lead of online sports betting in Tennessee) to allow online sports wagering that is unaffiliated with land-based casinos.
What MA sports betting could look like
Unlike most bills legalizing sports gambling, Baker’s proposal would ban any bets on NCAA sporting events. Currently, New Jersey is the only state that restricts betting on NCAA events, and that is only on teams from the state or events taking place within its borders.
Baker’s bill would allow residents anywhere in the state to bet from their smartphones or to place live wagers at recently-opened casino MGM-Springfield. The massive Encore-Boston Harbor is expected to open just outside of downtown Boston in Everett in June of 2019, pending approval by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC).
The proposal would tax online wagers at a rate of 12.5 percent, whereas bets at live sportsbooks would be taxed at a rate of 10 percent. It is the fifth bill proposed by legislators in the state and one of three bills proposed in January, giving the House options to choose from if it decides to move towards legalized sports betting.
While there is pressure from Massachusetts residents and lobbyists to pass this legislation and compete with the gambling market in neighboring states Rhode Island and Connecticut, the groundbreaking nature of Baker’s proposal is causing some delays.
What still needs to happen?
In April of 2019, the Massachusetts House of Representatives delayed Baker’s bill (which included an overall proposal on the state’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year), signaling a more deliberative approach towards the issues surrounding sports gambling.
The MGC is also investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against Wynn Resorts founder Steve Wynn that could delay the opening of the Encore-Boston Harbor Casino. The commission fined Wynn Resorts $35 million in April for the company’s role in covering up those accusations.
Officials of the Massachusetts State Lottery, which is currently only an in-person business, assert that the Lottery should also be allowed to accept online wagers if the bill is proposed. This adds a wrinkle that the House will have to consider.
There are powerful groups within the Bay State that are lobbying for the passage of this law, including Boston-based DraftKings. The owner of the largest Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) platform and online sportsbook, DraftKings has a vested interest in legalizing an industry that is currently thriving through illegal avenues.
Massachusetts legislators took a similarly slow approach in 2016 when deliberating on the legality of DFS.
Projected Massachusetts sports betting launch date
Sports Betting App Massachusetts Online
While sports betting bills will be up for discussion during the legislative session in May, the House appears to be in no rush to make a decision. The House has until November of 2019 to pass any of the three proposals into law. If legislators decide to ratify Baker’s bill, there could be legal online sports betting available in Massachusetts sometime in 2020.