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Massachusetts Retail Sports Betting to Launch January 31

Robert Linnehan

by Robert Linnehan in Sports Betting News

Updated Dec 22, 2022 · 1:57 PM PST

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  • The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has set retail sports betting launch for Jan. 31
  • A soft launch will take place the day before on Jan. 30
  • No word yet on status of online sports betting launch in Massachusetts 

Massachusetts sports betting, at least in its retail form, will officially launch on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 well ahead of the Feb. 12 date for Super Bowl LVII.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) announced today that the state’s three casinos, Plainridge Park Casino, Encore Boston Harbor, and MGM Springfield, will be able to open their retail sportsbooks on Tuesday, Jan. 31, two weeks ahead of Super Bowl LVII.

Retail Sports Betting Set for Jan. 31

The MGC has issued Category 1 retail sports betting licenses to all three casinos in the last three weeks. Plainridge Park Casino has partnered with Barstool Sportsbook Massachusetts to run its retail facility, Encore Boston Harbor has partnered with WynnBET to run its retail sportsbook, and MGM Springfield has partnered with BetMGM Massachusetts to run its retail sportsbook.

The commission will vote on a certificate of operations on Jan. 27, which includes GLI certification, to make sure everything is order before the full launch.

Each sportsbook will undergo a soft launch on Monday, Jan. 30, with only staff and invited guests allowed to place bets at each sportsbook. If everything goes well, a full launch for each sportsbook will then commence on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Each Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner will attend a different sportsbook’s soft launch event and sign off on the facility if everything passes muster.

Commissioner Jordan Maynard will attend the Plainridge Park Casino soft launch, Commissioner Brad Hill will attend MGM Springfield’s, and Commissioner Nakisha Skinner was selected to attend Encore Boston Harbor.

Skinner asked that the soft launch and full launch be delayed by a day as she can not attend any events on Jan. 30, but the schedule was not changed. Commissioner Eileen O’Brien will instead attend the Encore Boston Harbor soft launch.

Gaming Commissioner Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said all commissioners will visit each of the three sportsbooks on the full launch to congratulate the facilities on their hard work.

Massachusetts Online Sports Betting Date Undetermined

While the Massachusetts online sports betting date has yet to be selected, it should be a positive sign that the commissioners have been able to keep their proposed scheduled to get retail sports betting up and running before the Super Bowl.

The MGC has said it hopes to launch online sports betting in the Commonwealth in early March before the NCAA basketball tournament begins on March 14.

So far, BetMGM Massachusetts and Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts have been approved for a tethered Category 3 online sports betting license. The MGC still needs to hear the applications for Barstool Sportsbook (Plainridge Park Casino), WynnBET (Encore Boston Harbor), Caesars Sportsbook (Encore Boston Harbor), and BetFanatics (Plainrdige Park Casino) online sports betting licenses.

The MGC will also being hearing untethered online sports betting license applications for FanDuel Massachusetts, DraftKings Massachusetts, Betway, BallyBet, Betr, and PointsBet.

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