House Passed Massachusetts Sports Betting Bill

The House passed House Bill 3977 with a vote of 156-3 on Thursday. The Massachusetts sports betting bill will now head to the Senate. However, its future is still uncertain. The bill legalizes sports wagering in the state for people who are at least 21 years old.

HB 3977 allows bets on pro sports, video games, esports, car racing, and college tournaments. However, it bans prop wagers on individual college athletes. It empowers both in-person wagering at casinos and three licensed mobile wagering apps. A 12.5 percent duty would be applied to in-person bets. Also, mobile wagering would see a 15 percent charge as per all in one pay per head reports.

Representative Jerald Parisella chairs the Committee on Economic Development. He said that the tax is lower for retail sports betting because casinos have higher overhead costs. According to a political forum, more than 80 percent of wagers would come from mobile devices. Parisella estimated that the state would earn $60 million from sports wagering taxes each year.

Massachusetts Sports Betting Bill

A new survey showed 61 percent of Massachusetts inhabitants favor legal sports betting. Also, most of the state’s neighbors have some sort of legalized sports betting. In any case, the most elevated obstacle that the bill faces is the Senate. In 2020, the Senate impeded the House’s legalization effort.

After a monetary advancement bundle — which included authorizing sports wagering — was passed by the House a year prior, the Senate, at last, passed the bill, however without the games wagering segment. Ongoing signs have been more promising from the Senate. Thus, people can start learning how to open a sportsbook.

Senator Eric Lesser filed Senate Bill 269 that is presently at the Ways and Means Committee. Also, it is more likely to be the version that the Senate would pass.