In the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling which places the responsibility of regulation of online sports betting to the states in the US, Massachusetts is one of the states which might be at the forefront leading the charge for online sports betting. Although this state has a colourful history regarding gambling that dates back to the 1930’s , it has Tribal casinos plus other types of gambling establishments, e.g. dog racing, brick and mortar casinos, it is still wary about legalizing online gambling and sports betting. This might largely be due to its duty to protect its residents and their funds from loss on such platforms.
There have been different proposals regarding the legalization of online gambling and sports betting in the state of Massachusetts, but they haven’t gained much traction till recently. The Governor of the state, however, seems to be in the lead for progressive reforms regarding the gaming industry in the state. His intention is to ensure Massachusetts is competing when it comes to regulating sports betting and online gambling.
The Governor of the state intends to achieve this in the near future by making sports betting a regular offering in full fledged casinos, there would be sports betting lounges in casinos and slot parlours, online and sports betting would be offered by Sports betting license holders, their would be sports betting available to companies that do not operate a brick and mortar license, tax on online betting would be 12.5% which is 2.5% higher than retail betting, the sports betting license application would cost $100,000, $500,000 fee to be paid every 5 years after approval and sports betting is restricted to professional sporting events only.
This goes to underscore the progressive development which the state of Massachusetts lead by the Governor hopes to achieve. It is also looking like a real possibility in the state as there is not fear of a sports betting bill been vetoed by the Governor since he leads the charge. This works in line with the overall development of the gaming industry in the state. It is good to remember though that the charge by the Governor is just that. It is still a proposal not a law yet in the state of Massachusetts. This been said, it is good to place in perspective just how good a possibility it is of legalization of sports betting in Massachusetts. In the state of Pennsylvania the application fee is $10 million while the tax rate is 36%. When you compare this figures to Massachusetts, there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel for the state’s online sports betting industry.
The most progressive move by the Governor of Massachusetts is towards the allowance of betting companies which do not own a brick and mortar gaming facility to apply for a gaming license in the state. What this means is these companies can offer online betting in the state. There is an estimated $35 million revenue which would be made from these online gaming industry and all revenues made would go to the State’s Gaming Commission local aid fund completely.
All these help to further buttress the possibility of online sports betting in the state in the nearest future. It is good to bear in mind that sports betting is not legal in the state of Massachusetts right now. Although if the requisite legislation is passed, residents are assured of been able to place their bets on games like Moneyline bets, spread, over and under, prop bets, parlays amongst others. All these bets will relate to professional sports only as college, amateur sports plus the Olympics will be excluded.
Remember in the state of Massachusetts any amount placed on games which is $5 and above is referred to as gambling. This amount is not exclusive of any casino bonus.
The forward turn which online gambling and sports betting have taken in the state is also largely attributed to the overturn of PASPA by the United States supreme court. The PASPA was a 30 year old law which deemed sports betting as an illegal activity in most states. With the overturn of the law, a good number of states have moved forward with legislation towards making online gambling and sports betting legal while some have gone forward with taking bets on sports.
Such states which now take bets are Rhode Island. They began taking bets in November of 2018. This has led to the increase in revenue from tax for the state as it see residents from nearby states crossing the border to come and place bets on their favourite sports games. Another such state is New Jersey. Residents from New York and Pennsylvania come into its border to place bets also. New Jersey has reported 14% of their business revenue is derived from this sport betting.
Massachusetts has also made huge revenues from betting over the years, but this is mainly from charities. The state allows host games which you can gamble on for fund raising. Such games include raffles, pull tabs, bingo, whist, beano, bridge. In 2017, the state realised in annual gross revenues from charity the sum of $57 million with bingo bringing in $25 million a year. Although the state has also been a host of dog tracing tracks such as Wonderland Greyhound Park, Taunton Dog Track, Raynham Greyhound track, they have all been shut down since 2009 after dog racing was banned in the state.
There is hope for residents who want to get into sports betting in the state of Massachusetts as there seems to be progress been made to make it happen. No longer will residents have to go to other states to enjoy this form of entertainment or lifestyle as it would be available in the state. Till that happens, it is best to remember that online sports betting is not legal in the state Of Massachusetts presently but once it is, you will be updated at once.
