MA Lawmaker Reintroduces Sports Betting Bill

BOSTON — Massachusetts lawmakers will once again consider whether to legalize sports betting after a bill was reintroduced by state Sen. Brendan Crighton, a Democrat from Lynn, earlier this week.

A prior version of the bill passed the House and was folded into an broader, economic development bill. But the legislative push died when the Senate failed to vote on it before the end of the last legislative session, and sports betting was not included in the final version of the economic development bill.

"Looking at the states around us, folks are going to bet on sports whether or not we legalize this, but right now the money’s going to the black market and to other states," Crighton told CommonWealth, which first reported this story. "With the black market, you’re not getting any consumer protections. We think it’s important to bring people out of the shadows into the regulated market.

Other proposals are expected to be filed. In Crighton's bill, people over the age of 21 could place bets on sporting events at the state's casinos, slots parlors and simulcast facilities. The state gaming commission would regulate sports betting in Massachusetts.

The state would collect an initial licensing fee of $10 million, as well as 15 percent of revenues. Casinos would have to renew their licenses every five years and pay a $1.25 million renewal fee. Crighton expect the bill to generate $100 million in initial application fees and $45 million per year from the 15 percent tax.

In New Hampshire, 6,000 people signed up to bet on sports on Dec. 30, the day the state legalized sports betting. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who introduced his own sports betting bill in 2019, supports the push.