What You Need to Know About Tomorrow’s Massachusetts Retail Sports Betting Launch
- Three casinos will launch retail sports betting tomorrow at 10 a.m.
- Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved the full catalogue of bets and markets
- Online sports betting will begin in early March
After months of planning, Massachusetts sports betting is set to launch at retail locations tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the Commonwealth.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) announced two weeks ago it will launch retail sports betting on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. Final approvals will be discussed today by the commission and certificates of operation will likely be awarded this afternoon.
Sports Betting Starts Before Super Bowl
The state’s three casinos, Plainridge Park Casino, Encore Boston Harbor, and MGM Springfield, will open their retail sportsbooks tomorrow, two weeks ahead of Super Bowl LVII.
The MGC has issued Category 1 retail sports betting licenses to all three casinos in the last month. 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.
Each sportsbook will undergo a soft launch today with only staff and invited guests allowed to place bets at each sportsbook.
Each Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner will attend a different sportsbook’s soft launch event and sign off on the facility if everything passes muster.
MGM Springfield has announced Boston Bruins legend Ray Bourque, City of Springfied Mayor Domenic Sarno, Sen. Adam Gomez, and Rep. Carlos Gonzalez will be in attendance during tomorrow’s retail sports betting launch for the sportsbook’s first bet.
Encore Boston Harbor announced 32 guests will be invited to place the historic first bets at the WynnBET Kiosk room at 10 a.m., while Boston championship-winning athletes will simultaneously place the first bets at the WynnBET Sportsbook at 10:30 a.m.
No launch plans from Plainridge Park Casino have been shared.
Sports Betting Catalogue Approved
The MGC approved a list of events that will be included for the commonwealth’s Jan. 31 retail sports betting launch. The major leagues and sports are all included, such as the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, and MLS, but the entire list of approved events was nearly four pages long and includes such sports as pesapallo, futsal, floorball, handball, and many others.
Each of the approved sports and leagues were specifically requested by the licensed operators in the commonwealth.
Here is the full list of approved events:
— RLinnehanXL (@RLinnehanXl) January 24, 2023
In addition, the MGC voted to approve bets on award shows, such as the upcoming Academy Awards in March, and bets on league drafts. It also will allow bets on league awards that are voted on by the media, such as the NFL MVP, the MLB Cy Young, and the Super Bowl MVP.
Competitive eating events, such as the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, were also approved.
Prohibited Events for Massachusetts Retail Sports Betting
The MGC did carve out several events from the approved retail sports betting catalogue. They are as follows:
- Winter Olympics
- Summer Olympics
- Chess
- Jai Alai
- Cornhole
- eSports
All of these prohibited events will likely be revisited and potentially restored in February meetings. The commissioners struggled with allowing the Winter and Summer Olympics in the approved catalogue, as so many of the events in the games are decided by subjective judges.
Rob covers all regulatory developments in online gambling. He specializes in US sports betting news along with casino regulation news as one of the most trusted sources in the country.
