Massachusetts Online Gambling Effort For 2017 Begins With Filing Of New Bill

Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr has reintroduced legislation that would legalize online gambling in the state.

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At this point, the two-page bill contains no specifics when it comes to licensing, taxation, or regulations.

SD 618 states:

“Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a gaming license pursuant to Chapter 23K of the general laws may also be licensed… to conduct gaming operations via the internet, provided that such operations do not include or reflect gaming mechanisms operated by the state lottery program of those simulating or resembling slot machines, so-called, provided that such license obtains an Internet Gaming License pursuant to this section.”

The limitation to existing land-based licensees (a similar condition exists for New Jersey’s online casinos) means that Internet Gaming Licenses would be available only to MGM, Penn National, and Wynn.

Tarr has been pushing the issue of online gambling for several years, most recently via similar shell legislation (S 241) in the 2015/2016 session.

You can track SD 618 via the MyLegislature service provided by the Massachusetts legislature.

Online efforts in Massachusetts run the gamut

The online gaming bill introduced by Senator Tarr is one piece of a much larger online gaming puzzle Massachusetts is trying to put together:

• Massachusetts passed a bill legalizing daily fantasy sports last year. The bill calls on the legislature to craft permanent regulations within two years, and in the interim the regulations created by Attorney General Maura Healey are acting as a placeholder.
• State Senator Jennifer Flanagan has also reintroduced a bill that would authorize the state lottery to sell tickets online. Flanagan introduced a similar bill last year that passed the Massachusetts Senate before dying in the House of Representatives. Online lottery also has the support of State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg.
• The Massachusetts Special Commission on Online Gaming, Fantasy Sports Gaming and Daily Fantasy Sports is exploring a wide range of regulatory options for online gambling and daily fantasy sports. The special commission will supply the legislature with its findings and recommendations on or before July 31, 2017.

As noted by GamblingCompliance’s Chris Krafcik, Tarr is part of the aforementioned commission, a dynamic that could ultimately influence the nature and direction of Tarr’s approach in the legislature:

Perhaps Tarr, who is on that joint committee with MGC's Crosby, will change his tune after committee wraps up its research?

— Chris Krafcik (@CKrafcik) January 19, 2017