In time for the Super Bowl.
Massachusetts sports betting will begin on January 31st, which happens to coincide with the beginning of the countdown to the Super Bowl which will be played on February 12th. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has given the go-ahead to casinos in Everett, Springfield and Plainridge to open sportsbooks. There will be no mobile wagering until March, which happens to coincide with the beginning of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Massachusetts was one of three states to pass legislation in 2022 that allowed sports gambling. The other two were Kansas and Maine. Sports betting began in Kansas on September 1st, 2022. But the Maine Gambling Control Unit has indicated that people won’t be able to bet until later this year or early 2024.
The Supreme Court of the United States legalized sports gambling in 2018. There are 34 states along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that have legalized sports betting. Gamblers in the United Sports Virgin Islands can legally bet on sports online by using international online sportsbooks. Sixteen states do not have legalized sports betting and one state, Utah, is not going to consider it. Politicians in Alaska and Idaho don’t seem to be in any rush to think about sports gambling. California put two sports gambling options before voters in November 2022 and both failed to win voters’ approval. At this point, there is no new option for the passage of sports betting in California. Politicians in Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri and South Carolina might consider a legalized sports gambling bill this year. Texas elected officials are getting pressure from sports owners in the state to legalize sports gambling. Prior to 2018, the National Football League fought every attempt to legalize sports gambling outside of Nevada. Now the NFL and every American-based sports league embraces it because it makes money for sports owners.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
