Three of Massachusetts’ most influential gaming executives—Plainridge Park Vice President North Grounsell, MGM Springfield President Chris Kelley and Encore Boston President Jenny Holaday—have penned a letter to the state’s lawmakers urging them to legalize sports betting before the latest legislative session is over.
The letter did not advocate for specific policies, but simply highlighted the fact that the state loses money when its residents choose to frequent neighboring states that do offer legal sports betting.
According to the letter, the three casinos have generated over $1 billion in tax revenue and invested an additional $4 billion in state infrastructure; however, the lack of sports betting prevents their business from growing, especially when other markets are getting a head start. The executives lamented the fact that “no resident of the Commonwealth is more than an hour’s drive from a state where legal sports betting is available.”
Additionally, the trio noted that they are having a harder time filling open positions, because qualified candidates are “choosing to work in venues that draw significantly larger crowds because of sports betting,” despite enticements such as “increased wages and sign-on bonuses.”
The state’s lawmakers have been locked in a sports betting debate for weeks now, after two separate bills were passed by the House and Senate respectively—the two sides have yet to come to a compromise that both can agree on, and Senate President Karen Spilka recently told local media she is hopeful that “we do get something done.”
The biggest topic of contention is collegiate sports, and whether or not the state should include it in any potential sports betting legislation.
Some officials, such as House Speaker Ron Mariano, have advocated for an all-or-nothing approach, but Spilka and others think negotiations can still be made.
