Breaking: Massachusetts to Start Sports Betting by Super Bowl, with Mobile by March Madness

Massachusetts will have in-person sports betting at casinos by late January, with online apps available by early March, barring unforeseen circumstances.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Friday voted 4-0, with one abstention, on a timeline to implement the sports betting law signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in August. It mandates sports betting is up and running before key sporting events, though commissioners may adjust it depending on stakeholder feedback or potential delays.

It concluded two days of heated debate over how aggressive Massachusetts should be with its launch. Much of the conversation centered around the risk vs. reward of having betting by the Super Bowl in February and the NCAA basketball tournament in March — the biggest betting events of the year.

A longer timeline would allow operators to provide more input on sports betting regulations, which haven't been posted yet. Smaller operators could especially benefit from more time to fill out paperwork and meet certain compliance standards.

Some commissioners were hesitant to crystalize a date before they know just how many operators will apply.

"Until we know exactly how many we’ll get, there’s a huge range. Assuming less than 15 [applicants], we can meet March Madness, is one thing, but there needs to be an understanding of the public that may not happen if we get 40 of these," Commissioner Eileen O'Brien said.

Massachusetts will allow up to 15 total online sportsbooks. Three state casinos will have retail betting and control two online licenses each. They'll contract those out  to the likes of BetMGM, Barstool and WynnBet, which have existing partnerships. Two racetracks will get one additional online license each.

The remaining seven are "untethered" and will be awarded based on competitive criteria determined by the commission.

A lobbyist with one online gaming operator called the 12 hour debate "comical," adding that the vast majority of licensees will be publicly traded companies, already licensed in dozens of other states.

The weekends of January 18 and January 29 were considered for exact launch dates, but they fell out of favor when concern around overcrowding casinos with eager bettors before key NFL playoff games prevailed.

“They would be flooded with people into the casino creating a possible problem,” said Sterl Carpenter, regulatory compliance manager at the MGC. “It would be helpful if we could give them a little lead time.”

Natasha Skinner, who abstained from the vote, said she was not comfortable with regulatory staff needing to work to accommodate sporting events.

The commission next meets Thursday where it will likely discuss rules for operators.