Massachusetts Sports Betting Bill Finally Set for State Senate Debate

After a great deal delay, a Massachusetts Bay Colony sports betting bill is finally scheduled for public debate in the state’s upper chamber.

The Massachusetts Bay Colony House of Representatitves passed House Bill 3933 inwards July of 2021. The human action seeks to permit the state’s deuce-ace commercial message casinos, as well as II simulcasting facilities, to lead sportsbooks.

HB 3933, however, has sat mothballed in the Senate Ways and Means Committee since being assigned in that location lowest summer. After nearly a twelvemonth of inaction following overwhelming livelihood inwards the House, the Senate committee eventually voted inwards favour of the gaming enlargement billhook late cobbler's last Friday.

With the committee’s blessing, HB 3933 at present heads to the full Senate level for deliberation. A auditory sense on the sports betting statute is scheduled for this Thursday, April 28.

Same Bill, Different Text

HB 3933 was nearly nem con approved in the House. Of the 159 representatives who voted on the sports betting bill, only if triplet voted “no.” The widespread, cross-party reinforcement in the House for making Old Colony a sound sports betting commonwealth was why the Senate Ways and Means Committee faced real scrutiny for seemingly dragging its feet on the issue.

Committee Chair Sen. Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport) said the literary criticism was unwarranted, as the committee was doing its due diligence regarding the proposed expanded gaming. Rodrigues said the Federal Reserve note would make a motion frontwards formerly fair to middling supporting is realized.

That funding came last-place Friday, but on a invoice that has changed from the House-approved variant of HB 3933. The primary election difference in the textual matter forwarded by the Senate citizens committee is that betting on collegial sports involving state-based colleges and universities would follow prohibited.

That substance Massachusetts residents would remain barred from placing a wager on a Bean Town College football spunky no matter of whether the Eagles were playing at rest home or on the route in another state.

Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano says that would likely live a “dealbreaker” for him. While the absolute majority of the states that have got passed laws to order sports betting have not included such a provision, several have, including New Jersey and New York.

The end of in-state betting bans is to hold sports betting interests and gamblers at an arm’s length from collegiate players who mightiness live more susceptible to being influenced to stroke a game.

Tax Hike

Another key difference inward HB 3933 from the House-approved version and the Senate committee 1 is the proposed in force(p) taxation rates.

The House statute suggests a 12.5% assess on retail sports betting revenue and 15% on online betting income. The current Senate sports gambling eyeshade greatly increases those revenue task rates to 20% and 35%, respectively.

For comparison, NV taxes sportsbooks at just 6.75% on their porcine revenue. The highest-taxed sports betting states are Rhode Island and New York, which requires oddsmakers to direct 51% of their meshing receipts to the body politic governments.

New Jersey, the richest sports betting country prior to New House of York permitting online wagering, taxes online sports betting income at an good charge per unit of 14.25%. Retail books compensate only a 9.75% tax.