Massachusetts Remains Impassive To Sports Betting Legalization Bills

New England state Rhode Island has made massive headway by passing the bill to legalize mobile sports betting in the state last week. However, the same cannot be said of neighbor Massachusetts.

The Bay State continues to remain inactive and impassive towards sports betting legalization, despite it being almost two months since the bills were first assigned for consideration to the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. The Committee staff recently reported that a hearing date is yet to be set, but that there is no guarantee it will be done shortly.

This news has made many unhappy, including Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. Governor Baker has been a strong supporter of legalized sports betting in the state. In an interview with the press, he spoke of his attempts to push the Massachusetts General Court to set up a hearing date at the earliest. “Our preferred option would be that this is something the Legislature takes up before they break for the summer, which will probably be somewhere around August. That would be the timeline we think makes sense because that would land before the start of the next NFL season,” he said in his Guest of Honour speech at the opening ceremony of the Draft Kings’ new office space in the Back Bay neighborhood.

What’s happening in Massachusetts?

In mid-January this year, Senator Brendan Crighton and Governor Baker both sent in two separate proposals to authorize interactive online sports books without the need for brick-and-mortar casinos and to legalize sports betting, respectively, in the state. However, despite massive support from both parties, the Massachusetts General Court and the Joint Committee have delayed in setting a hearing date for the bills.

New England states, as evidenced by Rhode Island, take on average six months to set in place the required regulatory frameworks and operational capabilities, to offer sports betting services after legalization. This doesn’t include the almost year-long debate that takes place actually to legalize sports betting. Given how the Bay State has failed to take any action regarding the bills for more than two months, state officials believe that 2019 may not be the year for legalized sports betting in Massachusetts.

Other New England States Edge forward

New Hampshire recently passed the bill which authorizes the state lottery to regulate sports betting operators with 269-82 support; inching a step closer to sports betting legalization. Maine, Connecticut, and Vermont to have started discussions about the possibility of legalization.

With one New England state having already legalized sports betting and the others well on their way to do so, Massachusetts must act fast if it wishes to avoid losing out on the rewards that sports betting will offer the region.