Proponents of a Massachusetts sports betting bill, led by Senator Eric Lesser, are frustrated by the state’s inaction on the measure. Lesser says the bill is a “top-tier issue,” but his sentiment is not shared by Senate President Karen Spilka.
Lesser, chairman of the state’s Economic Development Committee, has been working on passage of the bill for three months. He characterizes its status as “live and under active conversation and negotiation” as it is currently being reviewed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
“We’re doing our best to balance, obviously, the fun of sports betting with some of the elements that we have to keep mindful of and be mindful of when you’re talking about a gambling product,” Lesser said on a virtual forum. “Like any bill, you’ve got a process of working with the duly elected members of the chamber on their different issues and their concerns. When there’s a consensus, when we feel like we’ve gotten to that point, I do feel confident that something will move forward.”
Other issues that are of higher priority include a redistricting map and a surplus and federal aid spending bill.
Lesser added, “It’s been something that many of us have been working on an almost-daily basis and there’s very active conversations going on. It’s very much a live issue.”
He wouldn’t predict whether the Senate would act by the end of 2021. One issue still to be settled is whether players will be allowed to use credit cards to make bets. Lesser’s bill doesn’t allow that, while the House version does.
Lesser commented, “The idea that somebody somewhat impulsively could rack up massive credit card bills from their couch who might have an addiction issue or otherwise have a gambling problem—that’s a big concern, and it’s a big concern to our caucus.”
The House bill allows bets on college sports, although not on individual athletes. Lesser’s version doesn’t allow any college game wagers. House Speaker Ronald Mariano argues that dropping college sports from the bill would cost the state $35 million annually. He calls excluding it “a deal-breaker.”
Governor Charlie Baker, a booster of sports betting from the start, worries that surrounding states will legalize sports betting and leave Massachusetts in the dust. He told a radio talk show, “There are a whole bunch of states that are pretty far around the bases, down the field. I know people who live in Massachusetts who drive to New Hampshire just to do it. I don’t know why we wouldn’t just incorporate the very basic framework that’s been adopted by most of these places so that people in Massachusetts can play and generate the revenue associated with it and make sure some of it gets put to good use to help people who are dealing with gambling issues and other issues like that.”
It’s well-known that state residents like to place sports bets. DraftKings, the Boston-based sportsbook giant, has estimated that 30 percent of its New Hampshire business comes from Massachusetts residents crossing the state line to make wagers.
