Massachusetts To Hold Back In Race To Offer Sports Betting
House Speaker says state lawmakers should take a more cautious approach to legalised sports betting following Supreme Court decision
It appears that Massachusetts will not be among the front-running states offering sports betting following the recent Supreme Court decision overturning the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.
On Thursday House Speaker Robert DeLeo said he intended to take his time making a decision on whether to embrace sports gambling and would be taking a more cautious approach than states like Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, which have already enacted legislation to either legalise sports betting or permit the development of regulations for sports betting.
With just two months left in the current legislative season, DeLeo said it would be “difficult” to see the House taking up a bill this session, and it is in any case not a decision he wants to rush into.
“I think that there are so many questions that have to be answered and I think that right now (it is not reasonable) for us to be able to expect to do this within the last two months of session, I’m not saying we’re not going to talk about it, we’re going continue to try to come to some type of an answer yes or no, but what I’m saying is I think it would be very, very difficult,” DeLeo told local media reporters Thursday.
DeoLeo said that he and Rep. Joseph Wagner, House co-chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, have had initial discussions about sports betting, and were in agreement that they should take their time.
The Speaker said he had listened to a range of opinions on the issue from constituents and is only beginning to understand all the facets of sports betting that would have to be considered if it were to be legalised in Massachusetts, including whether to allow online betting and how to approach minors.
“The more we talk about it, the more questions that we get and with that, I think that if we’re going to do it, I think we have to do it as best we can and try to get it right the first time and if that takes a little bit longer for us to get to that point, to do it correctly, then I think that’s the way we ought to do it,” DeLeo said.
While the Speaker noted that Massachusetts doesn’t want to fall too far behind other states that might begin to capture a new revenue source from legal sports gambling, he also said he doesn’t regret not having started the review process sooner in anticipation of the court ruling.
“With the many issues that we’re dealing with right now, for us to be dealing with a hypothetical and not knowing what’s going to happen, we need to probably get some further answers from the federal government as well. Are they going to step in? Are they going to mandate something on the states? So, not at all,” he said.
Rep. Wagner drew attention to comments from the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell that the League may prefer to see the federal government give US states some guidance on how to regulate sports betting.
“While we might elevate it in terms of where it may be in the queue, the Speaker’s correct,” he said. “It’s going to take a period of time to do a deep dive.”
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has estimated that sports betting could generate between $9 million and $61 million in state tax revenue a year, depending on the tax rate.
Pennsylvania Ready To Accept Applications For Sports Betting Licenses (Update)
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board invites state-licensed land casino operators to apply for additional $10 million sports betting licenses
On Wednesday the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced that it has established a framework for temporary regulations regarding intrastate legalised sports betting, and is inviting existing land casino licensees in the state to apply for sports betting licenses at $10 million each.
The Board’s plan is initially for sports betting to be confined to licensed state land casinos before moving to online activity, although Board officials have not yet set a date for implementation and the first bets by punters.
The board’s communications executive, Doug Harbach, told local reporters: “We intend to move as quickly as possible. But at the same time, remember that our role is to protect the public. So we’re not going to unleash sports betting in the commonwealth until we have this right.”
Some land casino operators have expressed concerns about the high cost of sports betting licenses, and the 38 percent of GGR tax rate set by state lawmakers.
Dna Interactive Working On New Sports Betting Platform
US company wants to take full advantage of recent US Supreme Court ruling liberalising sports betting
US-based technology group DNA Dynamics Inc., announced Thursday that its subsidiary, DNA Interactive, has begun work on a new platform that will take advantage of the recent US Supreme Court opinion which paves the way for the expansion in US online sports gambling.
Carl Grant, DNA’s CEO, said in a statement that the company has been building cash reserves and the game plan over the past few months and is now in a position to move into the sports betting market.
“This latest forecast change in legislation in the US is a game changer and has aligned with our plans perfectly. Having had little to offer shareholders in the way of updates for some time, we are now in a position to have a series of updates to the market which will outline our platform strategy, our chosen development partners and our go to market strategy. I look forward to sharing these with you very soon,” he said.
“Our strategy in this area is to build an online betting platform that allows players to create their own betting scenarios; where groups of users can wager against one another in all major sporting competitions.”
Headquartered in Grandville Michigan and with operations in the UK, DNA Dynamics’ business focuses on ‘Mobile Gaming’ where the company is building a diverse portfolio of assets.
Delaware The First To Offer Full On Sports Betting (Update)
Governor announces that sports betting will be available in the state by Tuesday
In a press release late Thursday Delaware Governor John Carney announced that his state will be the first to offer full sports betting services following the US Supreme Court’s overthrow last month of the restrictive Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.
The governor revealed that sports wagering will begin at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at three locations, beating states like New Jersey, Mississippi and West Virginia to the punch.
“Delaware has all necessary legal and regulatory authority to move forward with a full-scale sports gaming operation, and we look forward to next week’s launch,” Carney said. “We’re hopeful that this will bring even more visitors into Delaware to see first-hand what our state has to offer.”
Delaware has offered parlay NFL wagering via partial exemption under the federal PASPA for almost a decade, but now punters will be able to bet on single-game and future betting on MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA along with soccer, golf, and auto racing starting next week at Delaware Park, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, and Harrington Raceway & Casino.
The press release did not clarify whether college game betting would be permitted, but it is anticipated that college football bets will be accepted, although under the state’s lottery regulations, no bets can be taken on Delaware’s two Division I colleges (Delaware State and the University of Delaware).