Massachusetts Gaming Commission Hiring Consultants For Sports Betting Launch

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) is hiring several consulting firms to help launch Massachusetts sports betting in the Commonwealth.

On Thursday, Executive Director Karen Wells filled commissioners in on the number of firms being tasked will helping make Massachusetts sports betting a reality.

“That is going to be huge for our implementation timeline,” Wells said.

“It’s a great win for the MGC to get them on board and have that set to go. I know the team is really excited to have this kind of level of help and this level of professionalism.”

What roles will Massachusetts sports betting consultants play?

One of the firms being brought on is RSM US, an audit and consulting agency tasked to help the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) with operator background checks.

The commission also hired a group of former law enforcement officials to help the IEB conduct
general suitability reviews of applicants.

Lastly, to help with product testing and regulatory compliance, the commission brought Gaming Labs International on board.

“As you know, we all have our day jobs, we still run an agency here. So bringing in that assistance is critical to us with the timeline,” said Wells.

Speaking of timeline

Last week, the commission chose to work towards a late January start for retail sports betting at the state’s two casinos. At the time, Commission Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said she was having doubts about the group’s decision-making process.

“I am very concerned about the rate of our decision-making,” Judd-Stein said. “I am very concerned about our ability to move forward.”

Additionally, the commission was torn on whether or not to launch mobile betting alongside retail wagering. In other discussions in Thursday’s meeting, the MGC reviewed potential regulations that might lend some insight into that timeline soon. For now, the group has decided on a late February – early March launch date for mobile sports betting.