{"id":224899,"date":"2022-08-04T16:38:19","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T21:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=224899"},"modified":"2022-10-14T12:18:31","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T17:18:31","slug":"massachusetts-sports-betting-wont-start-anytime-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/massachusetts-sports-betting-wont-start-anytime-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Sports Betting Won’t Start Soon, Gaming Regulators Caution Public"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) today held its first meeting since state lawmakers passed legislation to authorize sports betting.<\/p>\n

\"Massachusetts
Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner Bradford Hill expresses concerns during the agency’s virtual meeting on August 4, 2022, that the public might think legal sports betting is imminent. The regulator says time is needed to finalize sports betting regulations before the state will review applications and issue licenses. (Image: Massachusetts Gaming Commission)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The special sports betting joint conference committee last weekend reached a compromise<\/a> between two competing sports gambling measures. The separate rules were passed by the Massachusetts Senate and House, then reconciled. The resolution was approved just hours before the legislature adjourned for 2022.<\/p>\n

The news generated joy among casino and gaming interests<\/a> and others supportive of expanded gaming in the commonwealth. But MGC officials say some time is needed before the first legal bet can be wagered.<\/p>\n

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This doesn’t happen overnight,”<\/strong> said MGC Commissioner Bradford Hill. “We are going to do this right \u2026 and take our time.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The MGC has been preparing for legal sports betting for months. But the agency now tasked with regulating not only the state’s three commercial casinos, but also in-person and online sports betting, says the process of finalizing regulations and reviewing applications will not be rushed.<\/p>\n

That means the odds are quite long that a legal sportsbook in Massachusetts will begin taking wagers before the NFL regular season kicks off on September 8.<\/p>\n

2023 Launch Favored<\/b><\/h2>\n

The NFL is the most bet-on sport in the US, and that’s expected to be true in Massachusetts, where the New England Patriots call home. Oddsmakers would prefer to begin their operations ahead of the NFL regular season and take futures action on Super Bowl LVII, but that’s unlikely.<\/p>\n

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History shows that legalized sports betting takes time to implement. In the more than 30 states that have launched regulated sports betting, the average time from a bill passing and being signed by a governor to the first bet is around six months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Though Massachusetts is expected to be on the shorter end of that average, the time line suggests that the first regulated wager won’t be placed until around the end of the year.<\/p>\n

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The latest ButlerBets Online Sports Betting State Launch Projection Guide\u2122 (projections subject to change):<\/p>\n

– Kansas: Late 2022
– Ohio: 12:01 am, Jan. 1, 2023
– Massachusetts: Early 2023
– Maryland: 2023
– Maine: Late 2023
– Utah: 2167<\/p>\n

— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) August 4, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n