Massachusetts Sports Betting: Retail Start Confirmed, Mobile 'In March'
Massachusetts sports betting will begin at three casinos on January 31st. Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville were given the green light to open retail sportsbooks earlier this month. Mobile betting apps will launch in the Commonwealth in early March. The NCAA Tournament begins on March 14. The January date misses the AFC and NFC championship games.
PPC was granted a temporary sportsbook license in Massachusetts. It will operate under the Barstool name. The MGC will meet on January 3 to hear proposals for the new BarStool Sportsbook betting app and the Fanatics betting apps. Caesars Sports Book was awarded a mobile license. The next sportsbooks in the state won't be approved until 2023 at the earliest. There are six mobile sports bookies applying for Category 3 licenses. PENN Entertainment will fully acquire Bar stool in February. They will no longer allow anyone under 21 to attend on-site airings of Bar Stool's college football show.
Plainridge Park gets a temporary license for a sports book. There are extra conditions, including a full investigation of Barstool Sports.
Snowden is presenting his case at the PPC hearing. The hearing was halted on Dec. 7 due to concerns with Barstool and Portnoy. A recent New York Times article about the company was cited as troubling. The company will pay a $250,000 fine sought by Ohio gaming regulators. Ohio sports betting is set to go live on Jan. 1.
MGM Springfield will have 18 betting kiosks spread throughout the casino. Encore Boston Harbor will also have more than 120 betting booths in 10 locations. PPC proposes to turn its former "Flutie's" restaurant into a Barstool Sports-branded sportsbook.
15 operators applied to take bets in Massachusetts. The application fee was $200,000. Each permanent full license delivers $5 million over 5 years in fees. If all 15 applicants are granted full permanent licenses, the state will generate $75 million in fee. Another $10 million will come in if Suffolk Downs and Raynham Park are approved for permanent licences.
Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park are going to be casinos. Massachusetts Sports Betting will start on mobile in March.
BetFred USA, Buddy Bet, Clutchbet, Easywin, MaximBet, Novibet, Underdog Sports Wagering and Unibets are among the mobile operators who didn't want to do business in Massachusetts. Suffolk Downs plans to have news soon on a permanent location for its retail book. Raynham Park expects to complete its new sportsbook in March.
Massachusetts legalized sports betting in August. The MGC is responsible for creating the rules concerning sports gambling in the state. Up to 225 new rules will be necessary to regulate sportsbetting. There will also be on-site testing of kiosks starting on January 16. DraftKings has partnerships with several major teams in Massachusetts. The practice was approved in Maine earlier this year.
The law allows Massachusetts betting apps to serve those over 21 and physically present in the state.
Massachusetts Sports Betting will start on mobile in March. College wagering for in-state schools is allowed for teams participating in tournaments that feature four or more teams.
Massachusetts Lottery will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022. The first state lottery in Massachusetts was legalized in 1745. Parimutuel betting on horse and dog racing was legalised in 1934. Suffolk Downs was a mainstay on the national thoroughbred racing circuit until its final race in 2014. Greyhound tracks in the state included sites in Taunton/Raynham, Revere, and Plainfield. A 2009 law outlawed dog races in Massasawas. Plainridge Park Casino hosts a limited harness racing season.
