Billy Stetson is the owner of Rumbleseat, a bar with a heavy dose of sports on TVs. And he wants in on sports betting in Massachusetts.
A group called Fair Play Massachusetts represents bars like Rumbleseat, which offers keno, serves up various sports on TVs, and now wants to add sports betting.
“These are mainly small local business owners,” said Ryan McCollum, spokesman for Fair Play Massachusetts. “Having the ability to offer sports wagers to their patrons will help them out, help out the bartenders and servers, help out the people in the kitchen and everybody they employ.”
Stetson said he hopes to keep customers at the counter by taking sports wagers, either directly or via a kiosk at the corner of the bar. But the latest sports betting bill in the House leaves out that element. The bill, released by the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, would allow adults age 21 or older to place bets at the state’s casinos, slot parlors or live horse tracks, and also allow sports betting on a limited number of web or mobile apps for players in the state.
The Senate has not yet considered its own version.
Rumbleseat already suffers from its location, just four miles from MGM Springfield, said Stetson. “If the only place you can go and place a legal wager is the casino, well, what good is that for me?” he asked. “All that guy is going to do is go to the casino and make all his prop bets.”
A spokesperson for MGM Springfield called sports betting crucial to the gaming industry’s future and urged lawmakers to move forward on the measure.
Brendan Bussmann, a partner at Global Market Advisors, said the state wants to ensure betting places show the same criteria as other gaming licensees, a requirement that could be costly and drawn-out for locals.
“Sometimes, you can’t have every operator do it,” he said. “That said, there may be a model that’s part of it where those taverns get kiosks or something else in there, but getting a gaming license, whether it’s sports betting or otherwise, is a difficult process. There’s a strict regulatory structure you want in place for that. Massachusetts has shown that.”
Casino operators note that people across the state could place bets online or through mobile apps if the bill becomes law. As is, the bill offers no entry to those without smartphones or other mobile access, said McCollum.
“If you’re a guy or gal who lives in Worcester, and you want to just put 25 bucks on the Celtics and you don’t want to download an app on your phone,” he said, “you would have to drive an hour to MGM or Encore, just to put 25 bucks on the Celtics.”
