The deadline to apply for a Massachusetts sports betting license closed on November 21 at 2 p.m. local time and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) said 15 companies submitted applications.
There were three types of licenses. The first was Category 1, which is for in-person sports betting at their properties as well as on up to two online platforms. Those online platforms are Category 3 and are partnered with a Category 1 license holder. There can also be standalone Category 3 license holders. Category 2 is reserved for horse tracks and simulcast facilities.
Three applications were filed for a Category 1 license. Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino all applied. Five operators filed for Category 3 license that will be joined with one of the three casinos.
A representative at MGC said Encore Boston Harbor intends to run two online betting platforms in partnership with both WynnBet. Plainridge Park Casino said they will operate two platforms with Sports Interactive and Fanatics Sportsbook. MGM Springfield plans to use BetMGM as its sole operator.
Six more license applications were filed for Category 3 licenses not associated with a casino. There were seven available spots. Bally Bet, Betr, Betway, DraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet all applied. One Category 3 application was associated with a Category 2 license but the name of the operator was not made public. Noticeable absences to license applications were BetRivers and Caesars.
The approval process should start with Category 1. They MGC has set January 2023 as the time for when Category 1 holders will be able to launch.
Online platforms (Category 3 licenses) will probably be next, though the launch for mobile betting is set for March 2023.
Category 2 was not under the same November 21 deadline. The MGC had ruled last month that the facilities eligible for that license could take more time to find a suitable online betting partner. They are making that deadline on a rolling basis.
The state’s two horse racing tracks, Raynham Park and Suffolk Downs, have expressed a desire for a license but representatives said last month that they needed more time to find a partner. Raynham Park reps told the MGC that they plan to join with Bet365.
One of three casinos, however, failed to get their Category 1 application filed. MGM-Springfield Attorney Augustine Kim, who represents MGM-Springfield, told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) at a virtual meeting on Tuesday that the missed deadline was an oversight. Kim asked the MGC to reconsider and allow them to file late.
“We didn’t know who was doing what, and as soon as we realized what was missing, we worked feverishly to get together what was missing and filed about 48 hours later,” Kim told the MGC.
Kim pointed out that the Category 3 license filed by the casino was on time. He added that the $200,000 fee for the Category 1 license was submitted the day of the deadline, November 21.
“We did anticipate this,” MGC Chairwoman Cathy Judd-Stein said ahead of the vote. “We were all extending the idea of empathy when we knew something could go awry. That’s why this provision was put into the regulation.”
The MGC ultimately voted unanimously to allow MGM-Springfield to accept the late Category 1 application. That means MGM-Springfield will be able to able to stay on track to open its retail sports betting location at the same time as Encore Boston Harbor and Plainridge Park Casino. They were the only three that filed Category 1 applications.
While no date has been disclosed for the retail sports betting locations, the MGC did hint at the end of January. If that is the case the casinos would have facilities opened in time for the Super Bowl and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, two of the most heavily bet events on the sports calendar.
The approval process has begun, however, and public comments will begin on December 5.
