An emergency meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has provided a potential window for the launch of legal sports betting in the Bay State.
While the members of the Commission failed to agree on an exact date for the launch of retail and mobile sports betting in the state, they agreed to designate late January as a start date for Category 1 sports betting operators and early March for Category 3 operators. Meanwhile Category 2 is on hold as the state waits on further details from simulcasting centers.
This means that the state’s two casinos and one slots parlor could launch retail sportsbooks or sports betting kiosks in January just in time for the Super Bowl. Mobile sports betting operators would have to wait until early March but would likely be ready to launch in time for the March Madness NCAA Basketball tournament.
However, the Commission did note that the January launch of retail sports betting was a provisional launch date. This could change if any significant issues arise including complaints from the public. The provisional launch date of March for online sports betting could also be delayed if the Commission receives a large number of applications for the seven available licenses.
During the meeting, Commissioner Nakisha Skinner made it clear that she was unhappy with the proposal that the Gaming Commission would use a less-detailed process for the sports betting world than it does for the casino gambling sector.
“The risk is the same and so in my mind, we should be applying the same rules across the board on the sports wagering side that we have in place for the gaming vendors,. If we are going to require them to be licensed in the first place, I don’t see a difference. I don’t see a reason to have a different set of rules.”
Commissioner Eileen O’Brien agreed with her concerns but offered a compromise to use the abridged process to start with a sunset clause that would revert to a more detailed process on September 1st, 2023. This would allow the Commission to move ahead with a speedier timeline.
Bill H5164 has been a contentious topic in the state and was only approved at the eleventh hour in August of this year.
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.