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. Since then, residents of the Bay State have seen eight mobile sportsbooks enter the market.

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 BETR Sportsbook and Fanatics Sportsbook as well, to give bettors a total of eight to choose from for the time being. It is expected that a 9th operator, Bally Bet, will also officially go live at some point in 2024.

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

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

• May 15, 2024: The Boston Celtics have eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA Playoffs and will be advancing to their third straight Eastern Conference Finals. Boston is currently (-750) to win the Eastern Conference and (-130) to win the NBA Title.

• May 4, 2024: With a huge game seven victory, the Boston Bruins will be advancing to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to take on the Florida Panthers. The Bruins are currently (+1100) to win the Stanley Cup.

• May 1, 2024: The Boston Celtics have completed a 4-1 series win over the Miami Heat with a 34-point win. Boston is now (+125) to win the NBA Title.

• April 25, 2024: A new signal caller is coming to Foxborough. The New England Patriots selected Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the NFL Draft. He is currently (+1500) to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

• February 20, 2024: Cathy Judd-Stein, who was the head of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, has officially announced her retirement from the position, which will go into effect on March 21, 2024.

• February 8, 2024: Betr and WynnBet have decided to halt operations in Massachusetts. This move has been approved by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, and both will be closed by the end of February.

• January 4, 2024: BetWay Sportsbook has decided not to launch in Massachusetts, as they will let their temporary license run out in February.

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 eight 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.

Top 3 sportsbooks in the state in March 2024:

1. DraftKings (Handle: $323m, Revenue: $22.7m)

2. FanDuel (Handle: $190.4m, Revenue: $15.2m)

3. BetMGM (Handle: $45.5m, Revenue: $2.9m)

Massachusetts sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: December 2023 ($655,598,548)

• Revenue: January 2024 ($72,718,241)

• Tax income: January 2024 ($14,165,773)

MA sports betting revenue in 2024