Massachusetts Online Sports Betting On Track for March 10 Launch

• Massachusetts Gaming Commission Executive Director Karen Wells said the state is on-target for its March 10 launch. 
• Suggests beginning online sports betting at 10 a.m. on that day
• Seven operators expected to be ready for March 10 start date

Good news for anyone in the commonwealth hoping to be able to bet on the March Madness tournaments from the comfort of their own home, as the gaming commission reported today it is on target for its March 10 launch.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) Executive Director Karen Wells reported that Massachusetts sports betting apps are on target to launch on March 10 at 10 a.m.

“We’ve had positive results from testing and reviews from internal controls. Seems to be moving along very well,” Wells said.

Seven Operators Expected to Launch March 10

At this point, seven online sports betting operators are expected to receive operating certificates by Thursday, March 9, and launch on March 10.

The operators are as follows:

• FanDuel MA
• DraftKings MA
• BetMGM MA
• WynnBET MA
• Caesars Sportsbook MA
• Barstool Sportsbook MA
• Betr

Fanatics, BallyBet, and Betway have all received temporary online sports betting licenses from the MGC, but have noted they will not be ready to launch by the start date. Fanatics and BallyBet have both acknowledged they’ll likely be ready to launch by May, while Betway will likely not launch until Q1 2024.

The March 10 start date will allow the commonwealth to begin taking bets before the men and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments begin on Tuesday, March 14.

Third-Party Affiliate Marketing Deals Discussed

The MGC discussed potentially amending its current regulations that prohibit sports betting operator deals with third-party marketing affiliates. Under the MGC’s current regulations, no advertising contracts with third-party affiliates in which those affiliates are paid based on the number of bets (revenue sharing) or customers sign-ups (cost per acquisition) are allowed.

Following a Monday roundtable with sports betting operators and third-party marketing affiliates, the commissioners revisited the prohibitions and seemed open to amending them, provided that there are enough safeguards to protect the Massachusetts sports betting market and its customers.

Interesting Massachusetts Gaming Commission roundtable this morning on third-party affiliates and their relationships with sports betting operators. MGC currently heavily limits relationships, but will hear concerns from both operators and third-party affiliates at roundtable.

— RLinnehanXL (@RLinnehanXl) February 27, 2023

The original intent of the prohibition on third-party marketing affiliate deals was to prevent the oversaturation of sports betting advertisements in the market and to protect its vulnerable populations, such as problem gamers or underage individuals, Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said.

After hearing from operators and marketers in the roundtable, and discussions with a number of consultants specializing in these deals, O’Brien said the current regulations as is “may have the opposite effect” of what the commission wanted to achieve.

The solution is not to completely do away with the regulations and allow these deals to commence unfettered, but to allow them only if certain safeguards are put into place, she said. More licensing requirements, higher licensing fees, and caps on the number of deals operators can have with third-party marketers is a good start.

While no official vote was taken on the issue, the MGC seems interested in imposing a waiver to allow CPA deals, and potentially revenue sharing deals, through April 14 while it researches the best safeguards for the market and creates new regulations to include them.

The new regulations and safeguards will go into effect on April 15 if approved.

The MGC will meet again on March 2 at 1 p.m. to take an official vote on the issue.