Massachusetts looks to March Madness gains with online sports betting launch date
Bay State regulator proposes “tentative” start date of March 10, with online licenses to be finalized on February 23
Officials from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) have proposed March 10 as the “tentative” start date for online sports betting in the Bay State.
At a high-level meeting of the MGC, executive director Karen Wells called for the March launch date, with operators potentially launching at 10am ET that day.
The tentative date comes as part of an understood MGC desire to have online sports betting up and running in time for the NCAA March Madness tournament, beginning on March 14, which, after the Super Bowl, is one of the busiest times for US sportsbook operators.
However, this launch date is dependent on the 11 potential licensees being deemed suitable by the MGC as well as their haste in replying to concerns expressed by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), the state’s sportsbook certification partner.
“This is dependent on the quality of the internal control submissions that the applicants have submitted, and their responsiveness to issues brought up by GLI,” Wells said in the hearing.
Retail sports betting has already kicked off in the state on January 31 at the state’s three licensed casinos – Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino.
Massachusetts’ official launch date will be finalized later this month, with online licenses set to be awarded on February 23, capping off a two-month-long series of meeting with operators in which they have put forward their suitability for licensing.
Currently 11 firms have been deemed suitable for licensing: Bally’s, PENN Entertainment, BetMGM, betr, Betway, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel , PointsBet, Fanatics, and Wynn Resorts.
Bet365, which had submitted an application, withdrew it last month, while Betway has indicated it will not be able to launch in the state immediately.
A total of 15 licenses are available, eight of which are tethered to land-based casinos in the state, with a further seven untethered licenses available through a competitive bidding process.
Retail sportsbook operators are taxed at a rate of 15%, rising to 20% for those online operators, with betting on in-state college teams banned by Massachusetts gaming law.