Massachusetts

Professional sports teams in Massachusetts have always seemed to have a championship pedigree, so it only felt right when the state legalized sports betting on August 1, 2022. After a few twists and turns, the residents of the Bay State currently have seven legal mobile sportsbooks up for grabs.

Bettors in MA have full reign to bet on their favorite local professional sports teams. However, when it comes to wagering on collegiate sports, bettors can only wager on in-state colleges when they are playing major events like March Madness. For those looking for a sports betting alternative, daily fantasy sports apps are also available in MA.

While betting on horse racing is available to in-state bettors, it is still illegal to wager on greyhound races. As far as non-sport-related wagers go, customers can bet on entertainment-based events like award shows, but they are not permitted to legally bet on politics or eSports.

Online sports betting in The Bay State

The efforts to get sports betting legalized in Massachusetts had always been there. Starting in 2019, sports betting bills started to make their way into legislative sessions, but up until 2022, the Senate was adamantly opposed to the legalization despite the Governor’s support.

In 2022, the House and Senate were still in disagreement about multiple aspects of the sports betting bill, with one of the biggest areas of contention being the rules surrounding wagering on college sports. However, even with the odds stacked against the bill being passed on August 1, 2022, the two sides came to an agreement, and Governor Charlie Baker was able to sign legalized sports betting into law on August 10th.

Once Gov. Baker signed HB 5164 into law, the long wait for legal sports betting in one of the biggest sports-centric states was finally over. Once the bill was signed, the process of handing out licenses began, and by January 31, 2023, the state was prepared to officially enter into phase one of legalized sports betting, which was retail betting.

Bettors in MA had three retail betting locations to choose from while they waited for mobile betting to officially launch. That launch day for mobile betting would come to fruition on March 10, 2023, when six mobile sportsbooks launched, including Caesars, BetMGM, FanDuel, WynnBet, and more.

Since the official online launch day, Massachusetts has further expanded its online market by adding the Bally Bet and Fanatics Sportsbook, giving bettors a total of seven to choose from for the time being.

All legal MA sports betting apps in 2024 (from newest to oldest):

Recently closed online sportsbooks

Sports betting & gambling legislation in MA

Sports betting is fully legal in Massachusetts, which means bettors must be at least 21 years old. As far as other restrictions go, bettors are not allowed to make deposits with credit cards, which is not a common restriction among legal gambling states, so it’s important for residents to keep that in mind.

Bettors have the option for remote registration, so while they do not need to be on the grounds of retail property to create a mobile betting account, they must be within state lines to place a legal wager on their mobile sportsbook account. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission enforces all of these aforementioned rules and regulations while also enforcing the strict guidelines that operators in the state must abide by.

Of course, the state itself still handles everything related to taxes. All gambling income in MA is subject to a 5% state tax, and on top of that, all winnings over $5000 are subject to a 24% federal tax rate.

With online and retail betting legal thanks to House Bill 5164, iGaming remains one of the lone gambling-related issues that remain illegal in the state. Whether that changes in the near future is still unclear, but with the amount of work still required to grow the sports betting market, the topic of iGaming will likely be put on the back burner for a while.

Most recent updates from the MA sports betting scene

• November 18, 2024: Coming off a loss to the Rams, the New England Patriots will head to Miami for a divisional game that they are (+7) point underdogs in.

• November 13, 2024: With a chance to win consecutive games for the first time in his career, Drake Maye and the Patriots will host the Rams in week 11 as (+4.5) point home underdogs.

• November 5, 2024: After falling in overtime to the Titans, the New England Patriots will head to Chicago, where they are listed as (+6.5) point underdogs.

• October 31, 2024: Jordan Maynard has been named the new permanent chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Maynard was appointed by Governor Maura Healey, and is replacing Cathy Judd-Stein.

• October 28, 2024: Despite losing Drake Maye to a concussion early in the game, the New England Patriots picked up a win over the Jets. New England will head to Tennessee this weekend as (+3) point underdogs.

• October 24, 2024: In their home opener, the Boston Celtics tied the record for most threes made in a game. Boston is (+280) to win the NBA Finals.

• October 21, 2024: In their first game of the 2024-25 regular season, the Boston Celtics are set to host the New York Knicks as (-5.5) point favorites.

• October 14, 2024: The Patriots lost the first game of the Drake Maye era, and they will now head to London to take on the Jaguars as (+5.5) point favorites.

• October 10, 2024: The New England Patriots have announced that Drake Maye will take over as the starting quarterback. The Patriots will host the Texans this weekend as (+6.5) point underdogs.

• October 4, 2024: The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has sent a cease and desist letter to the popular off-shore betting company, Bovada. The AGO is demanding Bovada shut down all their operations in the state immediately.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

All casinos and racetracks in Massachusetts were awarded licenses when the sports betting bill was passed, which means there are currently three retail locations available to bettors, with two more expected to join in the near future. The two locations expected to join down the line are Raynham Park and Suffolk Downs, both of which are pari-mutuel simulcast facilities. These locations will be able to partner with one online and one retail operator apiece.

The three casinos that have opened their doors to sports bettors since the launch have the option to partner with two online skins, all of which have already been claimed.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Right next to Massachusetts, happens to be the highest earning state for sports betting handle in 2023, in New York. Outside of the juggernaut that is NY, residents of MA can also travel over the border to New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut to find legal sports betting.

Vermont was the most recent neighboring state to MA to pass a sports betting bill. To find out more about that bill, select the state below.

Sports betting revenue impact on Massachusetts' economy

It did not take long for Massachusetts to start managing record-breaking numbers when it came to sports betting handle and revenue. As recently as October 2023, Massachusetts was tenth out of all legal sports betting states in overall handle for the year at $3.65 billion, which is impressive considering sports betting only launched in January of 2023. It certainly helps that Massachusetts offers seven of the largest sports betting apps on the market.

There are two ways an online operator can obtain a license in MA. In total, there are 15 licenses, and eight are available for an operator to partner with either a casino or racetrack. The other seven licenses are standalone, so they do not require a partnership, but they are on a competitive basis. Regardless of how they are obtained, the fee for a license is $5 million. For tax rates, online sportsbooks have to pay a rate of 20%, while retail sportsbooks pay a rate of 15%.

With the pure size of the state and the fact that more operators could join the market, Massachusetts has a real chance to be one of the highest-earning states of 2024. Ironically, much like the professional sports world, the biggest state that MA will compete with is New York, as the two states have two of the largest sports fan bases in the U.S.

Massachusetts sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: September 2024 ($678,747,447)

• Revenue: September 2024 ($75,354,789)

• Tax income: September 2024 ($14,632,219)

Latest MA sports betting revenue report breakdown (September 2024)

• Total betting handle: $678,747,447 (All-time high)

  • Mobile betting handle: $667,652,705

  • Retail betting handle: $11,094,742

• Winnings Paid to Players: $603,392,458

  • Hold: 11.10%

• Gross revenue: $75,354,989 (All-time high)

  • Adjusted (taxable) revenue: $73,488,421

• Tax revenue for the state: $14,632,219 (All-time high)

Reported by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Top 5 sportsbooks in the state in September 2024:

1. DraftKings (Handle: $355.2m, Revenue: $39.6m)

2. FanDuel (Handle: $182.4m, Revenue: $22.05m)

3. BetMGM (Handle: $45.6m, Revenue: $5.6m)

4. Fanatics (Handle: $37.9m, Revenue: $1.8m)

5. ESPN Bet (Handle: $22.3m, Revenue: $2.1m)

Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)

MA sports betting revenue in 2024

The three most vital figures, sports betting total handle, revenue, and tax income for the state, coming from Massachusetts Gaming Commission revenue report monthly reports, are presented in the following table for the 2024 year. The percentage figure represents the change compared to the previous month.

Yearly revenue data