Eleven mobile sportsbooks look to Massachusetts licenses as interest from operators wanes
Prospective operator numbers drop by half following notice of intent exercise in October
Eleven mobile sportsbook operators have submitted applications for licenses to operate in Massachusetts, according to the latest information from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC).
A deadline for sports betting license applications passed yesterday, with the MGC confirming a total of 15 applications being received across the three various license categories, down by more than half from when the MGC conducted its notice of intent exercise in October.
Of these, three applications were received for category 1 licenses (retail casino), five were received for a category 3 license (mobile/online) tethered to a category 1 license, and six were received for standalone category 3 licenses (mobile/online).
“One additional category 3 license application to be tethered to a category 2 license was also received. Category 2 licenses, which only current horse tracks or simulcast facilities are eligible for, will be accepted on a rolling basis,” the MGC said.
Massachusetts native resorts including Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino have each submitted applications for a category 1 operator license.
Under Massachusetts’ gambling laws, category 1 sports wagering operators can operate in-person wagering at their properties as well as on up to two online platforms. The online platforms attached to a category 1 license will be licensed as category 3 sports wagering operators.
In respect of this, MGM Springfield has said it will operate one online sportsbook under the BetMGM brand, with Encore Boston Harbor choosing two platforms, WynnBet and Caesars Sportsbook.
Plainridge Park Casino also indicated its intention to operate two online sportsbooks, Penn Sports Interactive’s Barstool Sportsbook and Fanatics’ soon-to-launch sportsbook BetFanatics.
Massachusetts’ two racetrack operators, Raynham Park and Suffolk Downs, while eligible to apply for category 2 licenses, have confirmed that they will not begin sports betting when the market launches in January 2023.
Both have indicated their intention to apply for licenses at a later date as their applications, when submitted, are not subject to any definitive deadline due to the resorts’ non-competitive nature.
However, it is understood that Raynham Park plans to partner with bet365, which has applied for a category 3 license in advance of the deadline for operators.
For a category 3 license tethered to a category 2 license to be able to commence operations, the category 2 license and certificate of operations must be awarded.
In addition to the five tethered mobile sportsbook applications, operators including DraftKings, FanDuel, Bally’s, PointsBet, Betr, and Betway (operating under its Digital Gaming Corporation guise) have submitted applications to operate on a standalone basis in the state.
In all cases, each applicant has submitted a fee of $200,000 per application.
The MGC has set a goal of launching retail sports betting at category 1 licensees in January 2023, with online launching in March 2023.