Mass. Regulator to Host Roundtable on New Sports Betting Law

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has invited reps from five gaming facilities to a public meeting on August 18.
Massachusetts Regulator to Host Roundtable on New Sports Betting Law
By
August 15, 2022

This is a critical point: the commission is delving into this law. It’s very complicated, and we may find that there need to be adjustments One day after Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill authorizing online and retail sports betting, the state’s gaming regulator said it would meet on August 18 with representatives from the five facilities that the new law explicitly allows to open sportsbooks.

On Thursday, Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said during an open meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) on Thursday that the agency needs to begin its work to create a regulatory framework with its current and prospective licensees.

“Our work with ultimate licensees will be swift and thorough, and we will keep everyone — all stakeholders and the public — apprised every step of the way,” Judd-Stein said at the meeting, which was live streamed for the public. “We know that you are all eager for an exact timeline. The development of that is responsibly underway.

“This is a critical point: the commission is delving into this law. It’s very complicated, and we may find that there need to be adjustments as we go through the planning process,” Judd-Stein continued. “As those come up, we will work with the legislature and the governor’s office on any necessary fixes.”

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Reps for Gaming Facilities Invited to Public Roundtable

Judd-Stein said the MGC would invite representatives from the three commercial casinos in the state — Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino — to a public roundtable at 10:00 am EST on August 18 to discuss the state’s sports wagering legislation. Reps for two simulcast racetracks, Raynham Park and Suffolk Downs, would also be invited.

Under H.5164, the sports wagering bill signed by Baker on Wednesday, the three casinos would each be allowed to open one retail sportsbook and have two skins for online sports betting in Massachusetts. The tracks would be permitted to open one retail sportsbook and get one skin apiece.

Plainridge is the state’s only track with live horse racing and therefore is eligible to be licensed as either a casino or a racetrack, but not both. Considering it could get a second skin as a casino, Plainridge is likely to go that route.

Barstool Sports, BetMGM Sportsbook, and WynnBET are expected to launch online and retail sportsbooks with Plainridge, MGM Springfield, and Encore Boston Harbor, respectively. Plainridge owns a stake in Penn Entertainment, the parent company of Barstool.

H.5164 would allow up to 15 mobile licenses, seven of which would not be tethered to a land-based casino or racetrack.

Commissioners Discuss How Licensing Process Will Work

The commission has yet to officially decide whether to work on issuing licenses to the five facilities mentioned above before entertaining newcomers or to work with all of the potential licensees simultaneously. Several members hinted that they thought the reviews could be done in tandem.

The new gaming law does not set a deadline for real money sports betting in Massachusetts to launch. Meanwhile, MGC Commissioner Bradford Hill fretted over how the commission should proceed.

“In terms of timing, are we addressing those facilities first and then dealing with the seven other licenses?” Hill asked at the meeting. “Are we doing this all at the same time?

“I would think, without knowing all the facts, that we would want to get up and running as quickly as possible the five entities that are already here,” Hill continued. “But does that get us in trouble if we give them those five [licenses] and then take our time with the other seven?”

Judd-Stein said her inclination was that a simultaneous review, rather than a sequential one, “would be ideal.”

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