Massachusetts Legislation About Sports Wagering: Launch and Updates

The month that Massachusetts sports fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. Even in these exciting times as both the Boston Celtics and Bruins gear up for what should be deep playoff runs, there's another Massachusetts sports storyline that will swipe a fair share—if not a runaway majority—of the press this month.

Mobile sports betting will finally go live in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the morning of March 10, just in time for bettors to wager on some of the marquee sporting events of the year. It marks the end of a long journey from deliberation to legalization to implementation and everything in between.

How Did We Get Here?

Massachusetts state legislators voted to legalize sports wagering in August of 2022, a little over four years after the United States Supreme Court ruled that it should be left up to the voters and lawmakers of each state whether or not to allow sports betting.

Putting these measures in place doesn't happen overnight, of course, so it wasn't until late January before in-person betting became available at three Massachusetts casinos: the casinos and bettors themselves didn't want to miss out on the rush of bets available ahead of the Super Bowl, the biggest sporting event of the year in the United States. The Commonwealth, on the other hand, didn't want to miss out on the revenue stream from the 15 percent tax levied on all winning bets placed in person (that rate jumps to 20 percent for the mobile apps).

What Lies Ahead

With the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament just around the corner, the lead-up to potential championship runs for the Bruins and Celtics, and the start of a new season for the beloved Red Sox after a disappointing 2022, there's something for everyone if you're a sports fan placing wagers in the Bay State.

Despite falling half a game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the number one seed in the NBA, the Celtics retain the best odds at winning their NBA record 18th Larry O'Brien Trophy—as they have for nearly every day since last June when they fell just short against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. They're listed at or around +300 at a handful of Massachusetts area sportsbooks.

Image Credit: Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

The Bruins aren't much different: they stand at 99 points with 22 games left to play, winning at a pace that could secure their position as the most successful regular season team in the history of the NHL. It's not a surprise, then, that their odds of winning the Stanley Cup (at or around +400) dwarf the nearest competitors.

Both teams have seen their fair share of disappointment in the past decade despite tremendous regular season success: will this be the year they finally break through and continue Beantown's lock on 21st-century sporting championships?

What Took So Long?

Just because mobile betting is about to launch, however, doesn't mean that the drama of the legal process is over just yet.

Legislators have taken a comprehensive approach to legalizing Massachusetts Sports Betting: they don't want to dive in head first before exploring all of the options before them—and any potential ramifications they could bring—which is quite understandable.

Nearly every issue one could think of as it pertains to sports betting: how much bettors and bookies will have to pay in taxes, which casinos and sportsbooks receive licensing, where the revenue the state brings in will go, and how to handle the status of amateur athletes as it pertains to the multi-billion dollar betting industry has been hashed out exhaustively over the past six months (and likely even longer as lawmakers debated on whether or not to legalize betting).

Consumer protection is an issue that Massachusetts lawmakers have emphasized in the lead-up to legalization. Before a prospective sportsbook—whether online or in-person—can get the green light from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to begin operations, they've got a series of hoops to jump through to ensure that they'll adhere to the Commonwealth's ethical standards.

Once they've done so, the MGC will continue to police them. As of March 2, 11 mobile sportsbooks have been authorized to operate in the Bay State; this means that sportsbooks will be offering several Betting Promos in Massachusetts once the process is done.

Above all, it'll be fascinating to see how things play out once mobile betting goes online. Lawmakers, scholars, and gambling industry experts have made their forecasts for how legalization will impact the state economy, with most projections sitting around $60 million a year.

Massachusetts is the 15th most populous state, however, with the third-highest GDP per capita in 2022. With a roaring economy, the Bay State could dramatically overshoot those predictions.

(Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)