Massachusetts Sports Betting Moves Closer

Massachusetts protracted journey towards establishing a native sports betting industry has received a huge shot in the arm this week, after a specialist Senate Committee advanced House Bill 3933 to the next legislative stage.

Gambling stakeholders in the Bay State have had to endure a prolonged period of inactivity, with lawmakers in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, the body charged with processing the proposal, hesitant to progress the bill without presiding over a lengthy due diligence campaign. As of last

Friday, this has now been satisfactorily completed.

House Bill 3933, which details a provision for three commercial casinos to be constructed within the state, was originally forwarded through the House of Representatives last summer. The proposal gained unilateral support in the House, with 156 out of 159 members voting in favour of the provisional legislation. Nevertheless, the bill has sustained some changes as a by-product of Senate readings, and therefore looks a little different to the original plan passed by the House of Representatives in July 2021. The directive permitting bets on local collegiate teams has been stripped out, and taxation rates have been subjected to a considerable increase. In the initial draft of HB 3933, and operator was set to be taxed at a rate of 12.5% of retail revenue, and 20% of online GGR, this has now been adjusted to 15% and 35% respectively.

The bill will now be officially debated in the Senate chamber, with discussions commencing this Thursday, 28th April.