The Massachusetts Gaming Commission held an emergency meeting to talk about starting dates for sports betting. They couldn’t agree on exact times. So they hedged their bets with windows of time, according to the State House News Service.
The launch window for Category 1 operators—the two casinos and one slot parlor—falls in late January, enough time for betting on the Super Bowl. Category 3, which represents mobile operators, expects to debut in early March, allowing wagers on March Madness. Don’t forget Category 2—this includes the two simulcast centers, which won’t be able to take bets until the commission gets more data.
The windows of time carry a string of what-ifs which could scuttle the approvals. For example, what if there are extraordinary circumstances or major issues in the public comments? What if the agency receives a large number of applications for the seven mobile licenses?
The vote for the windows of time recommendation brought to the floor on October 7 was 4-0 with an abstention from Nakisa Skinner, who did not feel comfortable with setting a goal based on the sports calendar, which is less detailed than casino gambling. Eileen O’Brien had similar concerns but did not abstain or vote no.
“The risk is the same and so in my mind, we should be applying the same rules across the board on the sports wagering side that we have in place for the gaming vendors,” Skinner said. “If we are going to require them to be licensed in the first place, I don’t see a difference. I don’t see a reason to have a different set of rules.”
An O’Brien compromise relied on the launch window as a starting point and included a sunset clause after which the commission initiates a more detailed process similar to reviews of outside vendors. Category 2 involves simulcast centers. The former Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park is one of those centers, its lone source of income since the state banned dog racing in 2009. And the center stands at the precipice of glory days as a sportsbook, according to WCVB.
Chris Carney, part of the track’s ownership group, said $25 million will be spent on the sports betting facility that will be connected to brand names such as Bally’s or Caesar’s when the commission approves them for a license.
“We’re spending over $2.5 million on (televisions). It’s going to be the biggest sportsbook in the country,” Carney said.
He hopes to see a payoff of $100 million in year one since Massachusetts people will not have to cross state lines to wager.
“Everybody from Quincy on south is going to come. Everybody from the Cape is going to come here. This is going to be the biggest retail location in the state of Massachusetts,” he said.
State Senator Marc Pacheco pushed for sports gambling to be legalized in the state for years.
“There’s another 300, 400 jobs they’re estimating here that will be created as a result of moving forward with expanded gaming in the commonwealth in terms of sports betting,” Pacheco said.
“You know what? We hung in there for the last 50 years, so it’s our day in the sun,” Carney said.
