Massachusetts Online Sportsbooks to Be Announced Later This Month
Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images. Pictured: The Massachusetts State House
Online operators for Massachusetts sports betting will be announced before the end of the month, according to a timeline presented by state regulators last week.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) is set to discuss the eligibility of online sportsbooks that are seeking a license in the state. Bally Bet officials are first in line to meet with state regulators to review their sportsbook's eligibility.
The meeting is the first of seven the MGC currently has lined up. The rest of the meeting schedule is as follows:
- Bally Bet — Jan. 6
- FanDuel —Jan. 9
- Betr — Jan. 10
- DraftKings — Jan. 11
- Fanatics — Jan. 12
- Betway — Jan. 13
- PointsBet — Jan. 17
During the meetings, each sportsbook will have one hour to share why their book should be considered for an online license, and to test their apps to prove they are ready for a launch.
Thus far, four sportsbooks have been approved for sports betting licenses in the state — Barstool, BetMGM, Caesars, and WynnBET. The commission received 29 total applicants for the 2023 sports betting launch.
In-person sports betting will launch in Massachusetts on Jan. 31, and Bay State bettors will be able to place wagers at three casinos — the MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor, and Plainridge Park Casino.
Massachusetts Sports Betting Background
A launch date for Massachusetts online sports betting has not yet been announced, but all expectations are that the state goes live before the March Madness men's and women's college basketball tournaments.
Massachusetts is set to become the second state to launch legal sports betting in 2023. Ohio went live with online and in-person sports betting on Jan. 1. Maryland launched online sports betting in late November.
Massachusetts has higher-than-average household incomes and education levels, both factors that positively correlate with sports betting interest. That, plus some of the nation’s most iconic and beloved professional sports teams, creates one of the most coveted potential U.S. markets.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and bipartisan members of the Democratic-controlled legislature floated dozens of sports betting legalization bills in the three years since the Supreme Court struck down the federal wagering ban. Finally, after over a month of closed-door negotiations, lawmakers came to an agreement on sports betting, five hours after the 2022 session was originally set to end.
Online operators will pay a 20% tax, while retail sportsbooks will pay a 15% tax. Both are higher than the average state's, though far less than New York and Pennsylvania's tax rates. Operators will not be able to deduct promo revenue from their taxable income as they have in nine other states. About 9% of tax revenue will fund problem gaming and addiction research.
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