Betr, WynnBET Approved to Cease Massachusetts Online Sports Betting

• The two sportsbook operators have been approved to leave the state
• Betr will cease operations on Friday, Feb. 16
• WynnBET will cease operations on Friday, Feb. 23

WynnBET and Betr are officially on their way out of Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) unanimously approved both of the sports betting operators’ cessation plans to leave the commonwealth.

Betr’s final day in Massachusetts will be on Friday, Feb. 16, and WynnBET’s final day will be on Friday, Feb. 23.

Betr Cessation Plans Approved by MGC

Both Betr and WynnBET were granted waivers to cease operations in the state without providing the commission with 90 day notices. According to Betr, customer deposits were halted on Tuesday, Feb. 6, and all funds dependent on customer play-throughs were paid out on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Betr’s cessation schedule will move forward as follows:

• Monday, Feb. 12: All Betr customers are informed of the cessation date
• Thursday, Feb. 15, at 11:59 p.m.: All betting markets will be closed
• Friday, Feb. 16: Betr ceases all operations
• Saturday, March 16: Deadline for customers to withdraw funds.

Customers who have accounts with remaining funds after March 16 will receive a check from Betr.

Commissioner Chair Cathy Judd-Stein thanked Betr for applying for a license and for their business over the last year.

“I wish you good luck as you continue to operate in regulated markets across the country,” she said.

Despite the operator leaving the commonwealth, a spokesperson left the door open for a possible Betr return.  Ashwin Krishnan, Head of Legal and Business Affairs for Betr, thanked the commission for their support and said the sportsbook operator “hopes to re-enter at some point in the future.”

WynnBET Leaving Massachusetts in All Facets

The MGC also approved WynnBET’s plan to leave the state. The sportsbook operator’s cessation schedule will move forward as follows:

• Monday, Feb. 12: Will notify customers about cessation date and deposits will be shut off at 11 a.m.
• Friday, Feb. 23: WynnBET ceases operation

WynnBET customer accounts will be open for 30 days for withdrawals after Feb. 23. For any open bets that are not be decided in that 30-day window, WynnBET customer service reps will contact each patron about their open bet to see how they can be resolved.

“We will give them an opportunity for fair value for their wager that they could place with another operator. It won’t necessary be a payout of the full wager, because the wager is unsettled. At a minimum we would be returning their stake that they would be able to place with another operator,” Jennifer Roberts, VP and General Counsel for WynnBET, said at the meeting.

Additionally, WynnBET will also cease their sportsbook operation support for Encore Boston Harbor’s brick-and-mortar sportsbook. When WynnBET notified the commission of its desire to cease online sports betting in the commonwealth two week ago, it said it would be staying on with the casino for its retail sportsbook.

Jacqui Krum, Sr. VP and General Counsel of Encore Boston Harbor, told the commission that Encore will handle its own sportsbook from here on out.

“The transition will be seamless,” she said.

Oddly enough, Krum said a decision has not been made as to whether or not the sportsbook will change its name from the WynnBET Sportsbook.