Massachussets Seeks Public Comments On Sports Betting License Applications
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) will hold a public hearing to discuss potential sports betting operators in the state.
According to the Boston Herald, now that the commission has received operator applications, they want to hear from residents of the Bay State.
“We had identified this, sort of, overarching issue: the opportunity for the public to give comments, both in person and in writing,” Commissioner Nakisha Skinner said.
MA sports betting public hearing date announced
On November 22, the MGC said it had received 15 total sports betting license applications.
For now, the proposed hearing date for public comments is December 5. In-person Massachusetts sports betting could begin as early as
January 2023 if the commission can get through all its paperwork.
The MGC still needs to finalize regulations to govern sports betting, review operator applications and award licenses.
Commission Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said the commission didn’t ask for public input previously because they still needed to find out which operators would be submitting applications.
“Once we got the applications in, it became clear we might want that,” Judd-Stein said.
Potential list of operators
The 15 applicants are:
- Plainridge Park Casino
- MGM Springfield
- Encore Boston Harbor
- WynnBet
- Caesars Sportsbook
- BetMGM
- Penn Entertainment
- Fanatics Sportsbook
- BallyBet
- Betr
- Betway (DGC USA)
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- Pointsbet
According to state law, each applicant must submit a $200,000 application fee. Operators will have to fork over another $5 million for licensing fees if selected.
As it currently stands, Category 1 (in-person) aims for a January launch date. Unfortunately, for those who prefer online sports betting, it is expected to launch in March 2023 at the earliest.
Massachusetts will have 20 licenses available across three categories.
- Five retail licenses
- Eight online licenses tied to a casino or racino
- Seven untethered online licenses
As for the Category 2 licenses, there are only two eligible applicants.
- Raynham Park
- Suffolk Downs
Both companies intend to apply but have said they are not quite ready to offer in-person sports betting.
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