You’d think since both chambers in the Massachusetts legislature passed sports betting bills, the commonwealth would be close to ending up on the Governor’s desk for signing. You’d be wrong. The Senate and House versions are very different, according to the State House News Service.
Notable differences include:
- The House bill permits bets on college sports; the Senate does not.
- The Senate has restrictions when it comes to credit card use, marketing, and advertising; the House does not.
- The Senate taxes in-person bets at 20 percent; the House charges 12.5 percent.
- When it comes to mobile betting, the Senate chose 35 percent and the House 15 percent.
“The Senate bill is a paternalistic bill; it has all these anti-gaming protections, so you don’t get hooked on gaming. But you leave those two things to the illegal market,” House Speaker Ronald Mariano said last month, referring to the ability to bet on the NCAA basketball tournament and college football bowl games. He also said, “It’s hard for me to figure out what the purpose of the Senate bill is.”
Senate President Karen Spilka, who has been cool to the idea of legalizing sports betting, said she would have voted to support her chamber’s sports betting bill if it had gone to a roll call vote because of its “very strong” problem gambling protections.
A House-Senate conference began on June 9 with a deadline for July 31.
The horse racing industry in Massachusetts may lose some race dates as well as simulcast centers. The laws that govern the racing industry expire July 31. Lawmakers can approve a temporary extension or finish the sports betting bills package, which ties in horse racing.
During the current session both the House and Senate approved legislation for legalizing sports betting, but the two branches aren’t close and there is no conference scheduled yet, according to the Worcester Business Journal.
“I know some folks have been trying to figure out what we’re doing with racing. For those in the public that don’t know, it’s actually tied to sports betting,” Rep. Tackey Chan, co-chair of the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee, said. “There are some legal issues that need to be synced up.”
The House Ways and Means Committee received a bill that would authorize simulcasting and horse racing going until July 31, 2023.
“That conversation is not over,” Chan said.
No, it isn’t. After the Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors June 2, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker called on the legislative conference committee to make quick work of passing a sports betting bill rather than watch sports fans crossing state lines to bet on the NBA finals.
According to MassLive, Baker said without a legal way to do this, it’s a little bit like the marijuana issue. “You just leave the black market there, and you don’t sort of bring it out of the shadows and make it part of the regular crime.”
The American Gaming Association wrote of its concern to the Massachusetts General Court, advising against excessive restrictions in the Senate version like a ban on advertising, unreasonable tax rates, and banning bets on collegiate games.
The Senate bill also includes the creation of a compulsive gambling program through the executive office of health and human services.
Industry experts predicted Massachusetts could rake in about $35 million in annual tax revenue from a legalized sports betting market.
