massachusetts sports betting

November 8, 2024

State of the Union: Tyson-Paul betting in Massachusetts, more election results

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

Mass regulators will allow bets on Tyson-Paul

On Thursday (7 November) Massachusetts regulators decided not to ban betting on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson exhibition boxing match set for 15 November. Citing safety and rules changes as positives, the commissioners unanimously believe the fight falls within the bounds of allowed markets in the state bet menu.

The Tyson-Paul bout, which will air on Netflix, will feature two-minute rounds rather than the standard three minutes. Boxers will also wear 14-ounce gloves as opposed to the usual 10-ounce gloves.

“The rules changes are trending toward safety, which was very influential for me,” said commissioner Nakisha Skinner. Her thoughts echoed those of her fellow commissioners.

Commissioner Eileen O’Brien did say that the exhibition raises another question for her…

October 28, 2024

Jordan Maynard officially named Massachusetts gaming chair

On Monday (28 October) interim Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) chair Jordan Maynard was appointed to a permanent role by the state's governor.

Maynard has been serving as the interim chair since former MGC chief Cathy Judd-Stein retired from public service in March. Governor Maura Healy also appointed former Melrose mayor Paul Brodeur as the agency’s fifth commissioner, according to a press release. The MGC had been down a commissioner since Judd-Stein’s retirement.

“He has proven to be a consensus builder who has a deep understanding of the agency and strives to do what’s best for the people of Massachusetts,” Healy said via press release.

Maynard was first appointed to the MGC in August 2022 and was part of the MGC when it developed rules and launched digital and in-person sports betting in 2023. The state’s general assembly legalised wagering in August 2022.

“I wish to congratulate Jordan Maynard upon his designation by Governor Healey as chair of the Massachusetts ..

October 22, 2024

US fantasy operators sued in Massachusetts

A lawsuit filed in Massachusetts calls out fantasy sports operators and the blurred lines between sports betting and fantasy sports.

Joseph Curran of Gloucester, a suburb of Boston, is suing PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. He claims that the companies “intentionally refrained from registering with Massachusetts” to offer the kinds of wagers he placed. Curran is asking that all his bets be refunded.

The lawsuit was filed on 17 October in Essex Superior Court.

Digital and retail sports betting are legal in Massachusetts after the state legislature approved it in August 2022. In-person sports betting went live in January 2023, and digital betting launched in March of that year. With sports betting, consumers can bet on game results or proposition bets. The operators are regulated and taxed by the state.

Nuance of sports betting, traditional fantasy, pick’em

In Massachusetts, traditional fantasy sports games are legal. In these games, players build a team of ..

September 26, 2024

Massachusetts regulator gives Penn green light for ESPN Bet retail rebrand; removes betting on college awards from menu

As Penn Entertainment and ESPN Bet prepare to launch in New York, Penn got approval on Thursday (26 September) to rebrand its Massachusetts brick-and-mortar sportsbook. The company has rebranded and opened two others in the last two weeks.
Late last week, ESPN Bet openeda retail sportsbook at L’Auberge Casino Resort in Louisiana and it opened a venue at the Margaritaville Resort Casino on 14 September. For its Massachusetts location, at Plainridge Park, Penn was doing its due diligence by asking the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to sign off on the change. Commission staff said it saw no “substantive issues” with the rebrand and the Massachusetts regulator gave Penn its blessing. No date was announced for the rebranding.

ESPN Bet went live digitally in 17 US jurisdictions, including Massachusetts, last November. On Monday (23 September) the company got approval from the New York State Gaming Commission to launch in that state. On Monday a Penn executive pointed to a go-live a..

September 12, 2024

Mass Gaming Commission to set hearing about DraftKings’ bungled email

People on the self-exclusion list in Massachusetts received the email about a ‘bonus bet'.
A widespread notification from DraftKings in mid-August about settlement of PGA Tour golf bets mostly was met with harmless bemusement and confusion from those receiving the email.

The recipients consisted of those who have made wagers on golf using the online sportsbook – just not this particular bet. It also included some who don’t even have a DraftKings account.

But it is another group of recipients that may land the Boston-based sports betting giant in hot water with regulators.

DraftKings message was intended for 13 bettors
That’s because during a Massachusetts Gaming Commission hearing on Thursday (12 September), it was revealed that the email was intended to be sent to only 13 bettors whose wagers were relevant to the settlement. But it actually went out to more than a million users. The potential hot water comes from the fact that the commission found that 184 residents on the vol..

September 11, 2024

Bet limits discussion in Massachusetts reveals disconnect between regulator, operators

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) led a nearly three-hour discussion about bet limits on Wednesday (11 September). It was the second attempt at doing so after most operators stood the commission up in the spring.
The meeting revealed a disconnect between operators, regulators, consumers and responsible gaming advocates about how or if a regulator should have a hand in how operators manage risk.

Every operator live in Massachusetts participated in the meeting. The last time, only Bally’s, which wasn’t yet live with Bally Bet, attended.

Statement from DraftKings on decision to not participate in Massachusetts Gaming Commission roundtable on practice of limiting bettors: pic.twitter.com/thbltgu8jc
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) May 21, 2024

In addition, there was a panel of stakeholders, ranging from a bettor/journalist to responsible gaming advocates to those with experience running casinos and sportsbooks. The conversation centred on how and why bettors may be limited…

August 16, 2024

Massachusetts operators hold 10.3% as Bally Bet makes debut

Massachusetts sportsbook operators were the winners in July, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission revenue report released on Thursday (15 August).
The state’s seven mobile operators and three retail operators combined for a 10.3% hold and handle was up significantly over July 2024.

Bally Bet, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook and FanDuel took a combined $405.3m (£315.3/€369.3m) in wagers compared to $294.9m in July 2023. Massachusetts’ handle was down against June’s $509.3m. Four digital operators recorded hold of over 10%.

Massachusetts operators paid more than $8m to the state in taxes.

Boston-based DraftKings retained its spot as the market-share leader, taking $202m in wagers, holding 10.3% and recording adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of $20.9m. FanDuel was second with $119.9m in handle and a hold of 10.97%.

Bally Bet had lowest hold of all operators
Massachusetts was back up to seven operators for July, after Bally Bet launched o..

July 2, 2024

Bally Bet now live in Bay State

Bally Bet launched in its seventh state on Tuesday (2 July). The operator joins six other national sports betting platforms in Massachusetts.

Seven seems to be the lucky number for the launch – not only did Bally Bet launch in its seventh state, it is the seventh live operator in Massachusetts. The state at one point had eight platforms live, but Betr and WynnBet exited the market earlier this year. That left BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook and FanDuel.

Under Massachusetts law, there can be a maximum of 17 platforms. Operators can partner with existing casinos or horse racetracks, or apply for a stand-alone mobile licence. BetMGM (MGM Springfield) and ESPN Bet (Plainridge Park) are tethered to casinos. WynnBet was tethered to Encore Boston Harbor, but that licence is no longer in use since WynnBet shuttered.

Bally Bet was among the first group of digital wagering platforms to be licensed in Massachusetts. The company decided not participate i..

July 1, 2024

Bally Bet to launch 2 July in Massachusetts; VSC goes live in Maryland

On Monday (1 July) the Massachusetts Gaming Commission announced that Bally Bet has plans to launch Tuesday (2 July). The commission approved Bally's application for its operations certificate, clearing the way for that launch.

The MGC revealed that Bally Bet plans to launch at 11am local time on Tuesday.

Bally Bet has had its temporary licence for about 18 months and is the last of the operators approved for a 2023 launch to do so. After Betr and WynnBet exited Massachusetts earlier this year, Bally Bet will provide a seventh betting option for those in the state.

Bally Bet opted to sit out the universal launch on 10 March 2023 and renewed its temporary licence earlier this year at a cost of $1m.

“Congratulations to Bally’s, thank you for being another legal operator in the market,” MGC chairman Jordan Maynard said. The commission unanimously agreed to issue Bally’s Interactive with its operations certificate.

Bally Bet will join BetMGM, Caesars Spo..

April 12, 2024

State of the Union: A look at the week that was in North America

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

Bally Bet aiming for June Massachusetts launch

Saying “our commitment is strong here”, on Thursday (11 April) representatives from Bally Bet told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission that it is aiming for a late June launch in the Bay State. Bally’s had previously promised a “late Q2” launch, but hadn’t put a date on it. The company has had a temporary sports betting licence in the state since early 2023. When Bally Bet launches it will bring the total number of digital platforms available in Massachusetts to seven after Betr and WynnBet exited the state earlier this year.

“Having someone that we’ve started with the licensing process, a group come in and actually get going, is exciting to us,” interim MGC chair Jordan Maynard said during the meeting.

SCOTUS grants extension in Florida sports betting case

T..

November 2024
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30

Tag: massachusetts sports betting