The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has granted category three licenses to six companies following a series of public meetings.
The commissioners voted on the preliminary suitability of six operators that applied for the license, with Bally Bet, FanDuel, Betr, DraftKings, Betway, and PointsBet all receiving approval.
All companies, with the exception of Betr, received temporary licenses by a unanimous vote. Betr’s suitability was initially questioned due to the involvement of professional fighter Jake Paul as a co-founder, and concerns about how they would maintain integrity if they offered combat sports betting in the future. However, the commission ultimately determined that Betr was suitable for the license with a vote of four to one.
Speaking of the decision, co-Founder, Joey Levy, stated:
“Thrilled to share Betr has been approved for a temporary sports wagering licence in Massachusetts. We do not take this honour and privilege lightly and thank the commissioners for their hard work and thoughtful diligence during this process.
We are excited to bring our unique product and media efforts to the Commonwealth, while continuing to do so as a leader in responsible gaming.”
DraftKings, CEO, Jason Robins said following the announcement:
“We are thrilled that the MGC has awarded DraftKings a mobile sports betting operator licence in our home state of Massachusetts. We want to thank Chair Judd-Stein, Commissioner’s O’Brien, Hill, Skinner, and Maynard and the MGC staff for their hard work and diligence to launch mobile sports betting in the Commonwealth.”
Sports betting in Massachusetts retail sportsbooks will launch on January 31st, while online and mobile sports betting will be available at some point in March.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau will now conduct a thorough review of suitability. After receiving a temporary license, operators must fulfill additional requirements and obtain an operations certificate before they are allowed to accept bets on approved sports events.
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.