The State House News Service contacted the offices of the 40-member Massachusetts Senate and found that 24 senators support sports betting. Despite that support, Senate President Karen Spilka hasn’t brought the measure the House overwhelmingly passed, to the floor.
Governor Charlie Baker, who will retire from office at the end of this year, is also continuing to press for the Senate to act on a bill—which he has done for four years. On March 24 Baker said it was inevitable that some bill would pass, “whether it’s that, or some other version, I think at this point this is a fact of life.” He added, “And for people in Massachusetts – literally many do – to just drive over the border, to be able to participate in something that is another form of entertainment, I think is unfortunate.”
The House bill, passed by a vote of 156-3, is unmoved in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, where it has resided since last summer. House Speaker Ron Mariano has criticized the Senate for its “stubborn reluctance to take the bill up.” The bill would authorize sports betting in restaurants, taverns and casinos throughout the Bay State. The survey indicated eight senators who were noncommittal.
But the News Service survey indicates that it is Senate President Spilka, rather than the senators as a whole, who has refused to move the bill. The Senate leader declined to respond to the News Service poll, except to comment that the Senate is “working towards a consensus to bring the bill to the floor.” She did not indicate a timetable for when that might happen.
She added, “Many, many of the senators — basically to paraphrase — again said the devil’s in the details, so once we have consensus, the intention is to do that very fast,” and continued, “It honestly doesn’t matter where I stand. If we’re able to reach a consensus, the intention is to bring it to the floor and debate it on the floor and let the senators decide.”
Recently the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, the Association of Black Businesses and Professionals, and the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce sent letters to the Senate endorsing Senator Adam Gomez’s bill. It would permit smaller retailers to get gaming licenses.
Commenting about his own bill, Gomez said, “My bill, S.264, is unique in that it provides our local bars and restaurants the opportunity to offer sports wagering and retain the patrons they may lose to casinos.”
The letter from the Black and Brown organizations stated: “Because there are currently no Black or Brown owned casinos and/or sports wagering mobile applications, any legalization regulating this exclusive industry in the Commonwealth which does not include an option for approved retailers (bars, restaurants, private clubs) will inevitably fail in delivering true diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Will Brownsberger said there are “unresolved questions about the scope of activities that should be eligible for sports betting, how to set it up, how to regulate it, and how to share the revenue it generates.”
Senator Michael Brady said, “I’m a strong supporter of sports betting. As you know, I filed legislation regarding sports betting in the budget and in other means. I think we’re losing revenue…to other states around New England. A lot of people I know in my district, my constituents, want it. … I know there was concerns about local colleges in Massachusetts. … I’m willing to look at that. But I think it’s long overdue. I think we missed the ball when Tom Brady, even though he played for Tampa Bay, when he went to the Super Bowl there.”
Senator Eric Lesser added, “Yes, Senator Lesser does support sports betting. He filed a bill to legalize it and said bill was reported favorably from the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies and referred to Senate Ways & Means.”
And Senate Majority Whip Mike Rush said he supports sports betting “in all forms.”
