Massachusetts Online Sports Betting Launch Date Proposed for March

• Massachusetts Gaming Commission Executive Director Karen Wells proposed a start date for online sports betting
• The proposed start date will be Friday, March 10, at 10 a.m.
• Will launch prior to NCAA Men and Women’s Basketball Tournaments

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a proposed launch date for Massachusetts sports betting apps.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) Executive Director Karen Wells proposed a Friday, March 10, 10 a.m. launch date for online sports betting in the Bay State.

If the launch begins on March 10, it will meet the commission’s goal to launch online sports betting prior to the March Madness tournaments.

Massachusetts Online Sports Betting Launch Depends on Operators

The March 10 date is a proposed launch date, Wells said. The launch hinges on the 11 online sports betting operators and their swiftness in replying to potential concerns from Gaming Laboratories International (GLI).

“This is dependent on the quality of the internal control submissions that the applicants have submitted, and their responsiveness to issues brought up by GLI,” Wells said.

The applicants have been responsive so far, Wells said, but the launch date can be altered if their actions are delayed.

Bally’s, Betr, Betway, DraftKings Sportsbook Massachusetts, PointsBet, and FanDuel Sportsbook Massachusetts will be eligible to launch their services through their untethered licenses in the commonwealth. Betway likely will not be launching in March, as the operator informed the MGC it would not be ready to do so during its license hearing.

Five additional operators will also be eligible to launch on March 10 through their partnerships with state casinos.

These partnerships are as follows:

• BetMGM Massachusetts (MGM Springfield)
• Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts (Encore Boston Harbor)
• Fanatics Betting and Gaming (Plainridge Park Casino)
• Barstool Sportsbook Massachusetts (Plainridge Park Casino)
• WynnBET (Encore Boston Harbor)

Retail Sports Betting Off to Rocky Start

The MGC discussed several violations from state casinos who allegedly took bets on prohibited sporting events in the state. The Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) department of the MGC noted that Plainridge Park Casino and Encore Boston Harbor each accepted bets on in-state colleges for several hours.

Bets on in-state colleges are prohibited in Massachusetts, unless the schools are participating in a tournament.

Both casinos self-reported the incidents, Heather Hall of the IEB said.

Plainridge Park Casino reportedly accepted bets on a men’s Merrimack college basketball game for seven hours and Encore Boston Harbor accepted bets on a women’s Boston College basketball game for five hours.

The IEB is currently conducting an investigation on the incidents and will submit a full report to the MGC soon.