The Massachusetts House has not accepted changes to the sports betting legislation, H 3993, it forwarded to the Senate. It is specifically rejecting the inclusion of college sports betting in the bill.
This means that in order for the bill to move forward, some form of compromise will need to be made, either by the Senate or the House. There was a 15-minute discussion period on May 17, followed by a vote not to agree to the changes.
The House named three of its members to a conference committee to hammer out the differences.
The two bills differ in more than just college sportsbooks, however. They also disagree on tax rates and licenses.
Senator Patrick O’Connor, who voted to include college wagering, commented that he hopes the conference committee will eventually come away with an agreement. He said, “I think Conference Committee gives a good opportunity for both sides to take what they passed and meld them together to make the most high quality product that we can. I am hopefully we will walk away with a bill that takes a lot of the best practices that have been put in place in other states.”
