Massachusetts Online Sports Betting

Sports betting has become a reality in Massachusetts with the first legal bets being placed in early 2023 at three retail casino sportsbooks. Online sportsbooks are expected to go live by the middle of March in time for March Madness.

Massachusetts visitors and residents already enjoyed the ability to play in casinos, buy lottery tickets and use OTB locations to bet on horse racing.

However, sports betting was not an option until Governor Charlie Baker signed the Massachusetts Sports Wagering Act into law in August 2022. 

It ended a long process for the state with sports betting bills passing one of the two legislative chambers on multiple occasions without reaching the governor’s desk.

In 2011, then-Governor Deval Patrick signed the Expanded Gaming Act which authorized three casino resorts and one stand-alone slots-facility. However, in the wake of sports betting being legalized nationwide, Massachusetts struggled to find the right terms to bring the option to the state.

Massachusttes sports betting falls under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC).

Massachusetts recent gambling expansion laws sees the state now offering the player’s a diverse gaming mix in DFS, online horse racing, casinos, live racing, live and video poker and charitable gambling.

You will need to play income tax on gambling winnings through a flat tax rate of 24 percent. If you win more than $600, you should receive a W-2G form to submit to the IRS.

Larger wins may also incur a federal tax. Exact tax rates applicable for larger wins will depend upon your state of residence in the United States, contact your tax attorney if you have had a huge win.

Online sports betting operators, both mobile apps and websites, will need to pay a 20 percent revenue tax in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts has set the age of 21 as the legal age for sports betting, casino gaming and DFS. To play the lottery, bet on a horse race or participate in a charitable gaming activity you need to be 18.

Sports betting was launched in Massachusetts in February of 2023, first at three retail sites and then was expected to be available online the following month.

Massachusetts gamblers will have the ability to bet on the stars of the NFL, NBA and NHL in addition to other sports from around the world.

It does not allow betting on high school athletics or college events involving one in-state team unless they are competing in a tournament with at least four teams. College player prop bets are also banned.

Almost a dozen mobile sportsbooks are expected to set up shop in Massachusetts giving players the chance to place bets from their computers or mobile devices. Among  the sportsbooks coming to the Bay State include: PointsBet, Betway, BallySports, FanDuel, DraftKings and BetRivers. Others will be connect through casino sites.

Players who sign in will have to create an account with their personal information, which may include part of their social security number. Players will also have to use geolocation technology on their devices to ensure they are in Massachusetts to place a legal bet.

Massachusetts allows legal and regulated Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS). Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill into law legalizing DFS in 2016 (H.4569) and the bill was extended to permanently make DFS legal in 2018.

In 2022, the sports betting bill H.5164 differentiated sports betting and fantasy sports contests while levying a separate 15 percent tax on gross gaming revenues earned by fantasy contest operators. 

Two of the largest US sportsbooks: DraftKings and FanDuel offer DFS.

In the spring of 2018, Sports Betting got new life in the United States as the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the 26-year-old law that banned sports betting. Today, all 50 states are free to legislate their own sports-betting laws.

Given its role as an endeavor that developed rather recently (and therefore not touched by the legal quibbling of the past by all the major U.S. sporting leagues), eSports betting may lead the sports betting legalization way in Massachusetts just as it has done in other states.

What are eSports?

Blossoming with the dissemination of global technology and increasingly fast internet speeds, eSports has changed quality video game play into full-time professional sports, whereby leading players sign multi-million-dollar contracts with professional teams.

Team tournament play rather than individual competition is generally how eSports are played at their highest levels. However, champion individual eSports stars can have cult global followings and the contrasting styles of the top eSports athletes are loved and copied by amateur players the world over.

eSports games themselves like Fortnite, League of Legends and Overwatch are equivalent to, say, the NBA, NFL and MLB, with the phrase ‘eSports’ describing the broad overarching concept (like Sports). 

eSports betting has become widespread and a big global business. Sportsbooks worldwide offer betting markets on all major eSports tournaments played globally. eSports business revenue grows massively year-on-year, and in 2018-19, the revenue of the industry is expected to reach the $100 billion mark worldwide.

It may be possible that the initial legal sports bet you make in Massachusetts, could possibly be a wager on eSports.

For state residents over the age of 18, all off track betting, course/track side and online betting options on Horse Racing are all perfectly legal in the eyes of the law.

Trackside

Massachusetts no longer has an operational thoroughbred track. A proposal by the Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center to develop a new track in Hardwick, Massachusettes was voted down by city residents in January of 2023. Sterling Suffolk Racecourse ceased racing in 2019.

Off Track Betting (OTB) in Massachusetts

The former live racing venues in Massachusetts effectively function as the state’s official OTB agencies. There are no additional standalone OTB facilities exist in the state.

Online Horse Racing in Massachusetts

Online racebooks available in Massachusetts have a small initial deposit requirement, but provide the convenience of betting anytime, anywhere on a mobile device or PC. Residents over the age of 18 all have full legal access to online horse betting sites that offer betting on races throughout the USA and across the world. If you’re unable to find the time, or perhaps can’t physically get to the track or a simulcast facility to bet on big events like the Kentucky Derby, you can still place wagers on the race with an online account, and it’s all 100 percent legal.

Visit our Gambling in Massachusetts page for more information on the states gambling laws