Massachusetts House Preparing to Vote On Sports Betting Bill

The Massachusetts House is getting ready for a dispute Thursday on legislation that would legalize sports wagering in the state, a vote that would then move attention to a Senate where leaders appear more ready to take on sports wagering than they were was last session.


House Speaker Ronald Mariano's workplace sent out an upgraded schedule to representatives on Monday telling them to be prepared at Thursday's official session to dispute a modified variation of Rep Dan Cahill's expense (H 506) to legislate sports wagering.


Cahill's expense was redrafted in the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies and reported out positively by the committee over the weekend. The bill (H 3974) could be further changed by the House Ways and Means Committee before it hits the floor Thursday.


At least 30 states, consisting of neighboring Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and New York City, have licensed bettors to put legal bets on sports in some style given that the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018 ruled that the nearly-nationwide prohibition on sports wagering was unconstitutional and gave states the capability to legalize the activity.


Meanwhile, illicit betting continues to attract wagerers in Massachusetts.


"We value the difficult work by members of the legislature to bring legalized sports wagering to the people of Massachusetts. As we learned last month, an overwhelming bulk of citizens support keeping the profits produced by sports betting in the Commonwealth," Plainridge Park Casino and Encore Boston Harbor said in a joint declaration.


Both companies have expressed an interest in hosting sports wagering, and referenced a survey they commissioned which found 61 percent of the state highly or rather supports legal wagering.