Massachusetts Sports Betting Trending Towards 2023 Launch

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission presented an aggressive timeline for the launch of legal sports betting in the state. It includes an application deadline in November, a "decision" on retail licensing and a review of temporary licenses for some online sportsbooks in December. In-person sports bets at casinos are planned for January and statewide mobile bets by February. The launch dates are not final, but the MGC's executive director said 2023 is the earliest possible starting point. Massachusetts lawmakers passed a law in August that allows for retail and online betting. They also allowed for up to 15 operators to offer it.

Regulators spent hours on Thursday working through a pile of regulations and draft application forms. The state’s sports-betting law caps the number of permanent online sports betting licenses at 15 but has no cap on temporary licenses. Most sportsbook operators interested in Massachusetts agree that the way the law is written presents an untenable situation. There may be a legislative fix in the offing, but regulators are continuing their work for the time being.