Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka wants to create a sports betting bill that will be a “national model.” Which means she’s not in a hurry to pass it.
Spilka has been largely a reluctant participant in the legalization of gaming in the Bay State. She’s had the same stance since 2010, when she opposed the gaming expansion that created the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and the three casinos that now operate.
Last week she told Bloomberg Radio, “I will wait to see what kind of bill we end up with,” but also said she hoped that if lawmakers agree to legalize sports betting they will pass legislation that might serve as a “national model.” She seems to forget that Massachusetts would be only one of more than 25 states that have already legalized sports betting so a “national model” isn’t likely.
She points out that the bill that did pass in 2011, which she did not vote for, nevertheless now serves as a “national model.” “And if we do go down the road of authorizing sports betting, I’d like to be able to say the same thing for that bill, as well.”
She added, “There will be a lot of discussion. I know a lot of members have had various ideas and thoughts about it, whether to do it or not do it, or how to do it. So there will be a lot of debate and discussion about it.”
