The Massachusetts state Senate is set to debate the legalization of sports betting this week following the introduction of a new bill on Friday 22nd April.
Latest bill includes a ban on college sports betting
However, the bill which was passed by a committee on Friday, differs from bill H3977 that was approved and passed by the House by a vote of 156-3 in summer of 2021.
According to local media, the newly amended wagering bill was advanced by the Senate Ways and Means Committee late Friday afternoon and will now head to the Senate floor for debate and a vote. If it passes, the new legislation will give lawmakers three months to amend the bill and pass it to the office of Gov. Charlie Baker.
Senate President Karen Spilka, who has previously resisted calls to discuss sports wagering said of the new legislation:
“I am pleased to see the committee has come to agreement on a strong proposal and I look forward to discussing it with my colleagues next week.”
One of the main differences between the legislation passed last summer and the new bill that has passed the Senate committee is a prohibition on sports betting on college sports. This has been a bone of contention for some time even in the House where Speaker Ronald Mariano previously stated that a ban on college sports betting would see him withdraw his support of the legislation.
Speaking last summer Mariano said:
“I find myself having a tough time trying to justify going through all of this to not include probably the main driver of betting in the Commonwealth.”
However, the Senate has made the move to ban college sports betting in its latest bill at the request of the presidents and directors of the state’s eight colleges and universities that have Division I sports programs.
If the House bill passed last year were to be signed into law, analysts estimate that sports betting in Massachusetts could generate about $60 million per year in tax revenues for the state. But Mariano stated that this could drop to around $25 to $35 million if a ban on college sports betting was included in the legislation.
This is in line with the Senate Ways and Means Committee and its estimate that the new sports betting legislation would generate $35 million in annual revenue for the state.
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An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.