Over the next few weeks, regulators at the Mass. Gaming Commission expect to be briefed on the proposals filed on Beacon Hill related to sports betting and could get an update on a commission effort to refile a bill that would change the way horse racing is managed.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has introduced a sports betting bill. HD678 proposes a sports betting framework that would allow online sports betting via casinos and “on websites and mobile applications that are not affiliated with a casino,” according to Daniel Wallach. The bill also proposes to ban betting on all college sports and esports in Massachusetts. Massachusetts sports betting is all but dead in 2020 after lawmakers failed to include a legalization provision in their 2021 budget. Despite months of negotiations and bipartisan support, lawmakers will seemingly have to start sports betting deliberations over again when a new session begins in 2021.

The sports betting bills that Gov. Charlie Baker and Sen. Brendan Crighton filed last month, and many others that have been filed since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to legalize the activity, would put the Gaming Commission in charge of licensing and overseeing sports betting operators in Massachusetts.

The commission has not participated in the drafting of any sports betting bills but has been studying the issue for years in anticipation of it being made legal here.

During an agenda-setting meeting Wednesday, commission staffers said they could provide a rundown of the various sports betting proposals that will be before the Legislature this session and what new responsibilities they would put in the commission’s lap at one of the panel’s next two meetings.

In 2018, the commission prepared a white paper on sports betting to highlight key considerations for lawmakers and to map out how the Legislature might think about introducing another new form of gambling in the Bay State.

The commission could also get a report in the coming weeks, general counsel Todd Grossman said Wednesday, on the effort that’s been underway by a small group at the Gaming Commission to “draft legislation to create a new Chapter 128D to overhaul the racing” aspect of the commission’s responsibilities.

Over the years, lawmakers have extended the racing and simulcasting laws for a year at a time, often waiting until just before or after the deadline to pass extensions.

In 2018 and 2019, lawmakers missed the deadline, and racing and simulcasting were briefly illegal in Massachusetts.

For about five years, the commission has been asking lawmakers to give serious consideration to giving it broader powers to regulate the racing industry and put an end to one-year extensions of racing and simulcasting authority.

The commission’s legislation did not gain traction with lawmakers in previous sessions.

Last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic upended most plans on Beacon Hill, Sen. Paul Feeney told the News Service that he and Rep. Tackey Chan were working on “a comprehensive bill that addresses all of these issues” and that would allow the Legislature to “stop this dance” of extending licenses every few months.

Under the most recent extension, horse racing and simulcast wagering are legal in Massachusetts until the end of July 2021.

(Copyright (c) 2020 State House News Service.

A politician in Massachusetts is pushing for the state to legalize sports betting, following a massive expansion in legal sports betting around the US. In mid-January, amidst national upheaval following the President’s second impeachment, Democratic Senator Brendan Crighton has announced that he is planning to re-submit a proposal to legalize additional forms of sports betting in Massachusetts, continuing legalization efforts in the state which have so far stalled out.

Another Massachusetts politician is pushing for legal retail and online sports betting in the state. ©12019/Pixabay

In November, A Negative Decision

Throughout 2020, the Massachusetts government debated whether to follow in the trend sweeping the US: should they legalize sports betting, or not? In late November, Massachusetts leadership took the unpopular route of decisively vetoing additional legal sports betting in the state, a measure put forward by Minority Leader Bruce Tarr.

Concretizing An August Postponement

At that time, the topic of sports betting had been postponed in August, when lawmakers decided that it was not yet the right moment to determine whether or not sports betting should be legal in the state, though an overwhelming number of Massachusetts House Representatives voted 156-3 to legalize.

According to US laws, the vote would then move on to the state senate. It was at that point that the process halted, as Massachusetts lawmakers, overwhelmed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, determined that the issue was not a priority topic necessitating immediate action, and extended bill-writing for politicians through the end of the year.

Now, Efforts Restart

Less than two weeks into the new year, Massachusetts Senator Brendan Crighton, a Democrat representing Lynn, has announced that he plans to once more bring the issue of legal sports betting to the state Senate. At least one other Senator, Republican Brad Hill, has expressed support for legal sports betting in Massachusetts.

What Would The New Bill Look Like?

Senator Crighton’s proposed law will allow for betting at racetracks and casinos. Should this proposal be signed into effect, Massachusetts gamblers would also be able to place their bets via mobile apps. In press coverage about Senator Crighton’s proposal, sports betting providers like DraftKings were referenced as mobile apps allowed by such a law.

Making Stipulations For Taxation

Senator Crighton’s proposal also spells out what the tax rate would be on sports betting in the state, should the Massachusetts Senate finally approve such a measure. According to this proposal, sports bets would be taxed at a rate of 15% for both land-based and online options. The fees would be paid via the Massachusetts Gaming Fee.

Additionally, Senator Crighton considerably ratcheted up how much operators would need to pay the state in order to access vital sports betting software. Should his law be put into effect by the state Senate, sports betting platforms may be forced to pay up to $10 million for the necessary software. Previous bill proposals set a much lower rate of $1 million.

Support For Senator Crighton’s Suggestion

Massachusetts Sports Betting Latest News

Already, some local representatives have come forward to support the measure, indicating their feelings of frustration that the state has not yet put such a bill into effect. This sentiment is not uncommon: as the coronavirus crisis continues and states find themselves without federal support, additional tax revenue sources like gambling prove vital.

So far, Representative Brad Hill, a Republican representing Ipswich, has expressed his support for Senator Crighton’s bill. Still, Massachusetts has demonstrated that the House of Representatives in the state, of which Brad Hill is a member, continues to support such legislation, while the Senate, which Crighton represents, tends to oppose legal gambling.

State Governor Charlie Baker has also reportedly expressed support for the bill. In the past, Governor Baker has drafted legal sports betting legislation of his own, though such measures did not manage to be enacted by the state government. Unlike Senator Crighton’s bill, Governor Baker’s proposal did not include wagering on college sports.

Proposal Underway As COVID Surges In Massachusetts

Mass Sports Betting Bill

The continued efforts to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts come as the state is deluged by a wave of COVID-19 infections, which continue to spread across the United States at an unprecedented rate. Efforts to expand legal online betting, then, are no coincidence, as lockdowns continue to be reinstated unpredictably across the country.

As of January 11, 2021, state officials reported more than 90,000 active reported cases of COVID-19, the novel respiratory virus which has altered the daily lives of people around the world since March of 2020. According to reports, January 2021 marks the worst month for COVID-19 since June in Massachusetts.

The Lockdown Measures In Place

As of January 11, Massachusetts is under a variation of lockdown via a legislative measure known as Covid Act Now. According to this law, gyms must be limited to accepting 25% of their normal capacity. Bars have been closed entirely, and masks are mandatory when indoors. Gatherings must be capped at a maximum of 25 people.

Ma Sports Betting Legislation

Still, reporters estimate it’s only a matter of time before stricter, statewide lockdown measures are implemented to control the spread of the virus, which could be linked to the second, more contagious variant of COVID-19 which originated in the UK and has since been found in a number of states around the US, exacerbating the virus’ spread.