MGC Begins Hearings for Untethered Massachusetts Online Sports Betting Licenses

• Massachusetts Gaming Commission will hear six applications for untethered Category 3 sports betting licenses over the next two weeks
• The commission will begin voting on the applications on Jan. 18
• Application from Bally’s Interactive was heard first

The journey for untethered Massachusetts online sports betting licenses began today, which will ultimately see the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) decide the fate of six sports betting operator applicants.

The MGC will first hear all six untethered Category 3 license applications before beginning their voting process on Jan. 18. The first application for Bally’s Interactive was heard today with FanDuel, DraftKings, Betway, PointsBet, and Betr scheduled to be heard over the next two weeks.

Bally’s Interactive Meets MGC Criteria

Despite the delayed voting, the application process for untethered Category 3 licenses will be the same as both Category 1 retail and tethered Category 3 online sports betting licenses.

Bally’s Interactive presented its product, responsible gaming strategies, and operator technology to the commission.  After hearing from its technical experts, the MGC then evaluated Bally’s application against its seven piece licensing criteria.

Adi Dhandhania, COO of Bally Interactive, said the operator has approximately 750,000 monthly online players and 500,000 monthly retail customers. Bally Bet currently has sports betting access in 19 jurisdictions throughout North America. Bally Bet’s online sportsbook is live in eight states and one Canadian province, he said.

BallyBet online sports betting is currently live in eight states and provinces in U.S. and Canada. pic.twitter.com/0bOX3GhUSb

— RLinnehanXL (@RLinnehanXl) January 6, 2023

According to Dhandhania, 50% of Bally’s employees throughout its casino footprint are minorities.

The commission found Bally’s Interactive met or exceeded all of its criteria for a tethered Category 3 sports betting license at the conclusion of the hearing. The MGC entered into an executive session to discuss financial details of Bally’s Interactive, estimated revenues for the commonwealth, and estimated handle figures. When the meeting was resumed in a public setting the applicant still met all necessary criteria.

Bally’s will be required to provide supplemental information to the MGC about its community outreach programs and employee diversity efforts before the scheduled vote.

Commissioners Question Bally’s Responsible Gaming Plans

While Bally’s did meet all necessary criteria, the MGC still had questions over Bally’s responsible gaming plans for the state.

Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said she had concerns over potential sports betting advertisements on mass transit, namely subways, as she wants to limit underage exposure to these types of advertisement as much as possible. Chairwoman Cathy Judd-Stein also expressed her concerns over Bally’s billboards she saw in Rhode Island that did not include a responsible gaming message anywhere on the advertisement.

Dhandhania said Bally’s Interactive would not advertise on mass transit, such as the subway, and said every single billboard placed in Massachusetts will include a responsible gaming message.

Commissioner Brad Hill chastised the application for not including any information regarding Bally’s Interactive’s community involvement. The Bally’s Interactive COO said the company will include the information in its supplementary material before the commission’s planned late January vote.

The Bally’s Foundation, Dhandania told Hill, is regularly involved with community services in Rhode Island, including food banks, toy drives, and other missions.

FanDuel’s application will be heard by the MGC on Monday.