Massachusetts Gaming Commission

March 21, 2025

Massachusetts sports betting handle slips to eight-month low in February

Player spending on sports betting in Massachusetts fell to its lowest monthly amount since July last year during February, although the state was able to report year-on-year growth across handle and taxable revenue.

Total spend by sportsbook customers in February hit $628.2 million (£484.5 million/€578.5 million). This surpassed last year by 15.8% but was 17.6% behind January’s betting handle in Massachusetts.

Data released yesterday (20 March) by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission show online handle topped $618.6 million in February. Retail sportsbooks also processed $9.6 million in total wagers.

As for taxable gaming revenue, this reached $65.6 million. It beat the previous February by 24.7% but was 30.5% less than January’s $94.4 million record haul.

Breaking this down, online betting generated $65.4 million of total revenue. The retail sector was responsible for $205,391 of the overall monthly amount in Massachusetts.

In terms of hold, the statewide figure for February stood ..

February 21, 2025

Massachusetts smashes sports betting revenue record in January

Sports betting revenue in Massachusetts reached a record $94.4 million (£74.6 million/€90.2 million) in January, while monthly handle hit its third-highest monthly total since the state opened its legal market.

Gross gaming revenue for the month was 32.8% higher than the $71.1 million reported in January last year. It also far exceeds the existing Massachusetts monthly record – $75.4 million in September 2024 – by 25.2%.

Data published yesterday (20 February) by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission reveals online sports betting revenue totalled $93.6 million in January. Retail betting also generated $778,953 in monthly revenue.

Incidentally, this bucks the trend of sports betting struggles seen in the industry during January. Pennsylvania, which also posted monthly revenue figures yesterday, reported a 26.4% year-on-year drop in betting revenue.

As for handle, player spending totalled $762.5 million, which beats last year by 17.0%. It is also only 3.3% behind December’s record $788…

January 22, 2025

Massachusetts sets another sports betting handle record in December

Massachusetts reported a record sports betting handle for the fourth consecutive month in December, with consumers in the Bay State wagering $788.3 million (£639.3 million/€757.4 million).

The December total surpasses the existing monthly state record of $777.8 million in November by 1.4%. It is also 19.7% more than the $658.7 million bet in Massachusetts in December of 2023.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission data shows online betting spend for the month was $776.8 million. Retail sportsbooks across the state took a total of $11.5 million in bets.

As for revenue, however, total taxable gaming revenue declined 5.1% year-on-year to $57.5 million. This is also 28.6% lower than November’s record $80.5 million haul. The decline comes in the wake of customer-friendly sports results that impacted the entire industry in December.

Online betting was responsible for almost all revenue in December, generating $57.4 million. In contrast, just $64,037 came from retail wagering.

In terms of hold..

November 22, 2024

State of the Union: DraftKings under fire, AGA reports record Q3 for gaming revenue

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

DraftKings under fire in MA, OH

On Wednesday (20 November) the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) levied a $425,000 (£335,028/€408,042) fine on DraftKings for two separate violations. The OCCC said DraftKings took college-player prop bets, which are banned in the state. It also said the company allowed accounts to be funded at “unauthorised” locations.

With regard to the college-player prop bets, DraftKings took bets 14-19 March, after the ban went into effect 1 March. In terms of account funding, the OCCC revealed that DraftKings took $2.5 million – on 40,985 deposits – at “non-gaming retail locations”.

Following the violations, the OCCC said DraftKings removed player-prop bets from its Ohio bet menu and stopped taking deposits at unapproved locations. The commission is requiring DraftKings to train i..

November 22, 2024

Massachusetts regulator requiring detailed data from operators on bet limits

Commission also takes a close look at the idea of permitting betting kiosks in assorted locations.

Over the course of this calendar year, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has made two things clear about its interest in the topic of sportsbooks and their alleged bet limits:

The commission does not intend to rush to draw any conclusions;

The commission will not stop in its efforts.

The latest evidence of both points came yesterday (21 November). A commission hearing on the issue led to a decision to have the Massachusetts Sports Wagering, Legal and Communications divisions send out a request for specific data to the state’s approved sports betting operators. The idea is to see how pervasive these limitations might be.

Data will allow review and analysis

The commission initially planned a discussion on bet limits in May. At that time, only one licensed operator appeared at the meeting. That set the stage for a September hearing that did include the operators. During that hearing,..

November 21, 2024

Massachusetts sets $748.1 million sports betting handle record in October

Consumers in Massachusetts spent $748.1 million (£591.9 million/€710.8 million) betting on sports during October, a new monthly handle record for the Bay state.

The October figure surpasses the exiting record of $678.7 million, which was just set in September, by 10.2%. It is also 30.8% ahead of $571.8 million last year, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Players wagered $735.0 million betting online and $13.1 million at retail sportsbooks across the state.

In terms of taxable revenue, operators generated $48.3 million in total for October. This falls 20.3% short of $60.6 million last year and lags 35.9% behind September’s record $75.4 million haul.

Online betting was responsible for almost all revenue, with retail contributing just $5,286 in October. As for hold, the state-wide figure for the month stood at 6.46%. Tax-wise, Massachusetts collected $9.7 million from sports betting, almost all of which related to online wagering.

Can anyone stop DraftKings in Massach..

October 28, 2024

Jordan Maynard officially named Massachusetts gaming chair

On Monday (28 October) interim Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) chair Jordan Maynard was appointed to a permanent role by the state's governor.

Maynard has been serving as the interim chair since former MGC chief Cathy Judd-Stein retired from public service in March. Governor Maura Healy also appointed former Melrose mayor Paul Brodeur as the agency’s fifth commissioner, according to a press release. The MGC had been down a commissioner since Judd-Stein’s retirement.

“He has proven to be a consensus builder who has a deep understanding of the agency and strives to do what’s best for the people of Massachusetts,” Healy said via press release.

Maynard was first appointed to the MGC in August 2022 and was part of the MGC when it developed rules and launched digital and in-person sports betting in 2023. The state’s general assembly legalised wagering in August 2022.

“I wish to congratulate Jordan Maynard upon his designation by Governor Healey as chair of the Massachusetts ..

October 2, 2024

More BetMGM betting violations revealed in Massachusetts

An external audit commissioned by BetMGM in Massachusetts revealed multiple potential violations of state wagering regulations. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) decided on Wednesday (2 October) to handle the newly found violations and two existing ones in a single adjudicatory hearing.
After BetMGM allowed banned prop bets on college football games and professional soccer matches, the operator hired Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) to audit its books. That company found additional potential “non-compliant” bets, including:

Forty-one more college-player props on college football;
Thirteen college-player props on college basketball;
Twelve college-player props on two women’s Elite Eight college basketball games on 1 April 2024; and
One hundred-and-six bets placed between 8 June 2024 and 17 June 2024 on Glory Kickboxing events.

College-player prop bets are prohibited in Massachusetts. And Glory Kickboxing is not an approved betting market. MGC staff revealed the add..

September 26, 2024

Massachusetts regulator gives Penn green light for ESPN Bet retail rebrand; removes betting on college awards from menu

As Penn Entertainment and ESPN Bet prepare to launch in New York, Penn got approval on Thursday (26 September) to rebrand its Massachusetts brick-and-mortar sportsbook. The company has rebranded and opened two others in the last two weeks.
Late last week, ESPN Bet openeda retail sportsbook at L’Auberge Casino Resort in Louisiana and it opened a venue at the Margaritaville Resort Casino on 14 September. For its Massachusetts location, at Plainridge Park, Penn was doing its due diligence by asking the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to sign off on the change. Commission staff said it saw no “substantive issues” with the rebrand and the Massachusetts regulator gave Penn its blessing. No date was announced for the rebranding.

ESPN Bet went live digitally in 17 US jurisdictions, including Massachusetts, last November. On Monday (23 September) the company got approval from the New York State Gaming Commission to launch in that state. On Monday a Penn executive pointed to a go-live a..

September 12, 2024

Mass Gaming Commission to set hearing about DraftKings’ bungled email

People on the self-exclusion list in Massachusetts received the email about a ‘bonus bet'.
A widespread notification from DraftKings in mid-August about settlement of PGA Tour golf bets mostly was met with harmless bemusement and confusion from those receiving the email.

The recipients consisted of those who have made wagers on golf using the online sportsbook – just not this particular bet. It also included some who don’t even have a DraftKings account.

But it is another group of recipients that may land the Boston-based sports betting giant in hot water with regulators.

DraftKings message was intended for 13 bettors
That’s because during a Massachusetts Gaming Commission hearing on Thursday (12 September), it was revealed that the email was intended to be sent to only 13 bettors whose wagers were relevant to the settlement. But it actually went out to more than a million users. The potential hot water comes from the fact that the commission found that 184 residents on the vol..

September 11, 2024

Bet limits discussion in Massachusetts reveals disconnect between regulator, operators

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) led a nearly three-hour discussion about bet limits on Wednesday (11 September). It was the second attempt at doing so after most operators stood the commission up in the spring.
The meeting revealed a disconnect between operators, regulators, consumers and responsible gaming advocates about how or if a regulator should have a hand in how operators manage risk.

Every operator live in Massachusetts participated in the meeting. The last time, only Bally’s, which wasn’t yet live with Bally Bet, attended.

Statement from DraftKings on decision to not participate in Massachusetts Gaming Commission roundtable on practice of limiting bettors: pic.twitter.com/thbltgu8jc
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) May 21, 2024

In addition, there was a panel of stakeholders, ranging from a bettor/journalist to responsible gaming advocates to those with experience running casinos and sportsbooks. The conversation centred on how and why bettors may be limited…

August 16, 2024

Massachusetts operators hold 10.3% as Bally Bet makes debut

Massachusetts sportsbook operators were the winners in July, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission revenue report released on Thursday (15 August).
The state’s seven mobile operators and three retail operators combined for a 10.3% hold and handle was up significantly over July 2024.

Bally Bet, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook and FanDuel took a combined $405.3m (£315.3/€369.3m) in wagers compared to $294.9m in July 2023. Massachusetts’ handle was down against June’s $509.3m. Four digital operators recorded hold of over 10%.

Massachusetts operators paid more than $8m to the state in taxes.

Boston-based DraftKings retained its spot as the market-share leader, taking $202m in wagers, holding 10.3% and recording adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of $20.9m. FanDuel was second with $119.9m in handle and a hold of 10.97%.

Bally Bet had lowest hold of all operators
Massachusetts was back up to seven operators for July, after Bally Bet launched o..

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Tag: Massachusetts Gaming Commission