Massachusetts Legalizes Sports Betting In Final Hours

Written by

Updated on March 2, 2023 4:21PM EST

Massachusetts becomes the 33rd state to legalize sports betting after a late-night session, extended deadlines, and much deliberation. At 5:10 AM local time, Massachusetts Speaker of the House Ron Mariano announced a deal had been reached on Twitter.

"I am proud to announce that the Sports Betting Conference Committee has reached an agreement on legislation that will legalize wagering on professional and collegiate sports in Massachusetts, bringing the immense economic benefits of a legal sports betting industry to MA." - Ron Mariano, Speaker of the House.

Massachusetts Sports Betting Legalized

With an initial July 31st deadline, legislators agreed to extend the deadline a handful of times to ensure a legal sports betting bill was agreed upon. This is a year after an initial bill was agreed upon in July of 2021 by the House.

Now a year later, the Senate approved a compromised bill to bring sports betting to Massachusetts. The bill is expected to land on Governor Charlie Baker's desk on Monday, August 1st.

Massachusetts Sports Betting Bill Details

Full details will be available in due time, but here is what we know, thanks to Bill Speros of Bookies.com.

Both retail and mobile betting is allowed.
College betting is allowed, except for Massachusetts teams.
If a Massachusetts team makes a tournament, that is the exception.
21 years of age or older to bet in Massachusetts.
20% tax rate on mobile betting, 15% on in-person.
No credit cards can be used to fund user accounts.

When Is The Massachusetts Sports Betting Launch Date?

The timeline of when legal sports betting will launch in Massachusetts is unknown at this time, but it is expected to take between 8-12 months based on other states' timelines.

Eight months from legislation would be the first week of March, which would make Massachusetts sports betting's launch right before March Madness.

Stay tuned for more details on the Massachusetts sports betting launch date.

What Legal Sportsbooks Will Be In Massachusetts?

There will likely be an extensive offering of the best sportsbooks and betting apps available in Massachusetts. There is already a foothold of legal betting companies in the state as DraftKings is stationed in Boston and there are casinos from already live in the state.

In addition, users can expect to use a BetMGM bonus code in Massachusetts with a casino already live in the state.

Other operators expected to launch in Massachusetts: