Sports betting kicks off in Massachusetts

Sports fans rejoice —the first month of legal sports betting in Massa­chusetts just ended. At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in-person betting opened at the state’s three casinos for thrill-seekers to place their wa­gers. Tewksbury resident Bill Dorazio made history as he placed the first ever sports bet at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett.

The state legislature passed a bill legalizing sports betting in compliance with federal law in a last minute compromise vote in August 2022. The bill had support from Tewksbury’s three state representatives — Vanna Howard, Tram Nguyen, and Dave Robertson — but State Senator Barry Finegold voted against the bill.

Former Governor Char­lie Baker signed the bill into law. The legislative action comes on the heels of a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that overturned the Professional and Ama­teur Sports Pro­tection Act of 1992, which outlawed sports betting ac­ross the country with limited exceptions.

Bettors will be able to place wagers on the ma­jority of professional and collegiate sporting events — both domestic and international. How­ever, state law prohibits bets on in-state college sports unless teams are in a tournament of four or more teams. Betting on youth and high school sports remains illegal.

Only those 21 years or older may place bets. Bets can be placed on non-sporting events, in­cluding awards shows, but the state is still working out whether or not bets will be permissible for sports that are decided by human jud­ges, such as gymnastics.

The new law requires that bettors be physically within the state’s limits in order to place a bet, either at one of the state’s three casinos or on a mobile app or website. Existing casinos in the state had the opportunity to apply for sports betting licenses, and the Plainridge Park Casino, Encore Boston Harbor, and the Springfield MGM are all open for business.

Bets can only be placed by a bank routing number or debit card for mobile betting. The law sets a 15 percent tax on in-person bets and a 20 percent tax on digital and mobile bets.

The state’s gambling commission already rol­led out strict rules to govern sports betting. In the first few weeks of legal betting, all three casinos in the state have self-reported violations and paid fines to the state; illegal bets were placed on basketball games involving Merri­mack College, Boston College, and Harvard —all in-state schools in non-tournament games.

In an attempt to ad­dress public health is­sues surrounding sports betting, mobile and on­line platforms will be re­quir­ed to display the state’s problem gambling help­line every time the app or website is opened. In­dividuals who suffer from gambling ad­diction will be able to add themselves to a private exclusion list to be prevented from pla­cing bets.

To receive help with gambling problems, visit www.gamblinghelplinema.org or call 1-800-327-5050.