Massachusetts Sports Betting
Massachusetts sports betting is legal and live. MA online sportsbooks launched on March 10, with six sportsbook apps including DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM now active and offering sign-up bonuses and promotions for new users.
Best Massachusetts sports betting apps 2023
Massachusetts sports betting is now live. New MA sportsbook apps, including DraftKings and BetMGM, are offering bonuses for new users. You must be 21 or older to bet online in Massachusetts.
If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, call 1-800-327-5050 or visit www.mahelpline.org/problemgambling to speak with a trained specialist for free, 24/7.
What’s happening in Massachusetts sports betting right now
- March 15, 2023 – FanDuel announced a sports betting partnership with the Boston Bruins while the New England Patriots announced a deal with DraftKings. The Boston Celtics have yet to announce a partnership with a sportsbook.
- March 13, 2023 – BetMGM Sportsbook announced a deal to become the official sports betting partner of the Boston Red Sox. Legal online sports betting went live in MA on March 10.
- March 10, 2023 – Online sports betting officially launched in Massachusetts. Six MA online sportsbooks are now live in the state.
- March 8, 2023 – Betr sportsbook will reportedly not launch in Massachusetts on March 10. That leaves six sports betting operators on pace for the opening of the mobile market in the state.
- March 2, 2023 – Massachusetts sports betting is still on track to launch on March 10. DraftKings, FanDuel, WynnBet, Caesars, Barstool, Betr and BetMGM are all slated to go live on the 10th.
- February 23, 2023 – PointsBet has pulled its Massachusetts online sports betting application and will not release an app once the state launches legal sports betting on March 10.
- February 17, 2023 – Fanatics Sportsbook announced it will not be part of Massachusetts’ online sports betting launch on March 10. Betway also said it will not be ready on launch day, leaving nine other approved apps potentially ready for March 10.
Is sports betting legal in Massachusetts?
Yes, sports betting is legal in Massachusetts. Retail sports betting in the state launched on Jan. 31, 2023 and mobile sports betting followed soon after on March 10 with the launch of six online sports betting apps.
A sports betting bill passed in the closing hours of the 2022 session, and Gov. Charlie Baker signed it on Aug. 10, 2022.
Massachusetts sports betting snapshot
| Is online sports betting legal in Massachusetts? | Yes, online sports betting in Massachusetts is legal, launching on March 10, 2023. |
| What sportsbook apps are live in Massachusetts? | DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Barstool, Caesars and WynnBet. |
| What sports are legal to bet on in Massachusetts? | Bettors can wager on almost any pro sports leagues but cannot bet on in-state college teams (unless the teams are in a tournament). All high school sports are banned from bets. |
| Who can bet on sports in Massachusetts? | Anyone physically located in Massachusetts who is 21 years of age or older. Sports betting sites use geolocation software to verify a person’s location before they place a bet. |
Comparing the top sports betting apps in Massachusetts
Massachusetts law permits 15 online sports betting licenses. Eight of those will be tied to a land-based partner, and the other seven are open to competitive bidding.
Six apps are now live in the Commonwealth: DraftKings, FanDuel, WynnBet, Caesars, Barstool and BetMGM. In addition to those six, Betr will launch sometime in April, Bally Bet and Fanatics plan on launching in May, and Betway plans to launch in Q1 of 2024. So, bettors will have an array of choices when deciding where to place their wagers – each with their various strengths and weaknesses.
Here is a breakdown of the top legal sports betting apps in Massachusetts, plus reviews of the apps and their features:
- Easiest app to use: FanDuel. One of FanDuel’s strongest assets is its simplicity. It is easy for beginners and experienced bettors and provides a fast, intuitive experience.
- Best app for live betting: DraftKings. DraftKings has a deep list of sports for bettors to choose from, and betting on them live is one of the calling cards for this industry leader. The app is also well-known for its innovations and free-to-play betting pools.
- Best app for market diversity: BetMGM. The online sportsbook for MGM Resorts offers bets on a long list of sports. You can also find all the major sports and many smaller ones, like ski jumping, snooker, lacrosse, and water polo.
- Best app for promotions: Caesars. Many sportsbooks let you receive rewards through loyalty programs, but Caesars utilizes a combination of bonuses, odds boosts and loyalty programs for both new and existing players.
1. DraftKings Sportsbook
Well known to Massachusetts residents, Boston-based DraftKings was a pioneer in daily fantasy long before DraftKings Sportsbook became one of the top sports betting apps in the country. Today, the sportsbook is known for its sleek app, long list of available markets, and innovative features. DraftKings was the first sportsbook in the US to offer early cash-outs and its pools feature allows bettors to compete in tournament-like events. However, the promotions DraftKings makes available for existing players could be elevated and expanded.
- App store rating: 4.8 (iOS), 4.6 (Android)
- Key takeaway: DraftKings has several unique features that are unavailable elsewhere.
- Best feature: Live betting
- Launch date: March 10
2. BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM Sportsbook should already be well known to Massachusetts bettors as the partner of MGM Springfield hotel and casino, one of the first three locations in the state to allow in-person sports betting. But BetMGM’s app is also one of the top options for sports bettors in the country as you are unlikely to find a sportsbook app that offers more flexibility when it comes to options, and editing a wager after placing it.
- App store rating: 4.8 (iOS), 4.4 (Android)
- Key takeaway: BetMGM offers flexibility before and after you place a bet.
- Best feature: Edit my bet
- Launch date: March 10
3. Caesars Sportsbook
Representing the entertainment and hospitality company of the same name, Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts is also a leader in online sports betting in the US. The Caesars app is one of the top options for sportsbook promotional offers and bonuses, but it isn’t quite as sleek or flashy as some of its competitors. It can be clunky to navigate or find a bet, but that being said, most users get a lot out of the app due to its performance and above-average promotions.
- App store rating: 4.6 (iOS), 4.5 (Android)
- Key takeaway: Average app with above-average promotions and bonuses.
- Best feature: Caesars Rewards
- Launch date: March 10
4. WynnBET Sportsbook
Usually associated more with luxury hotels and casinos, the Wynn brand has expanded to online sports betting and is quickly gaining traction across the industry after it acquired UK sportsbook BetBull. Known for its live betting features and easy-to-use app, the WynnBET Massachusetts app is a solid option for all bettors. However, it has been known to be a tad slow through the withdrawal process at times.
- App store rating: 4.6 (iOS), 4.1 (Android)
- Key takeaway: Brand name cache with an easy-to-use app.
- Best feature: Live betting options
- Launch date: March 10
5. FanDuel Sportsbook
One of the more popular sportsbooks in the country, the FanDuel Sportsbook Massachusetts app is user-friendly and easy for beginners. However, navigation through some menus could be improved, mostly due to the wide array of betting markets and sports available. This is, therefore, not a bad thing so much as a hindrance. Same-game parlay options are also a staple of FanDuel, and as noted, the app boasts a solid menu of available markets for bettors to choose from.
- App store rating: 4.8 (iOS), 4.7 (Android)
- Key takeaway: You won’t find an easier app to use.
- Best feature: Same-game parlay options.
- Launch date: March 10
Best MA sportsbook bonuses and how to get started
Getting started with a sports betting app in Massachusetts is easy. First, head to the sportsbook’s home page or app, and create an account. Once you’re done with that, you can make a deposit and start betting. Throughout the process, keep an eye out for any bonus codes and offers for new customers.
It is also important to be aware of the lingo associated with sportsbook bonuses, promos and other offers. The language for these offers can differ from book to book, but they usually fall into one of a few different categories. Here is a brief primer on the types of promos you can expect with Massachusetts sports betting apps:
- First bet offers: For a first bet offer, you will first have to place a wager that meets the sportsbook’s conditions. If you win, then you simply collect the profit from your win. If you lose, however, the site will issue you site credits equivalent to a percentage of your lost bet.
- Deposit bonus — The sportsbook matches a portion of your bonus amount as extra credits. Depending on the offer, you might be getting a dollar-for-dollar match.
- Loyalty programs — Most online sportsbooks let you participate in the company-wide loyalty program. Programs like BetMGM’s MGM Rewards or Caesars’ Caesars Rewards give points and tier placement for every dollar you wager. These points and statuses can often lead to benefits like free meals, free hotel stays and exclusive event invitations. There is no cost to join, and you could be enrolled automatically when you register.
- Odds boosts — These bonuses are so common that they are often not identified as promotions, but rather another feature on the app. An odds boost pumps the potential payout on certain bets in favor of the bettor in order to generate interest in wagering.
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Projected Massachusetts sports betting revenue
Legal Sports Report is projecting Massachusetts to be among the top states in sports betting handle and revenue after its first full year of operation. However, we still don’t know exactly how the state plans on handling certain aspects of the industry.
As of now, we do not know whether the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will allow sports betting operators to deduct promotional credits from their taxable income. Though it is commonplace in many states with legal sports betting, allowing sportsbooks to deduct promos would lower the amount of taxable revenue the state could earn.
LSR has built a projection model for both scenarios. Below is a look at ranges for possible handle, revenue and taxes for the first full year of Massachusetts sports betting based on whether the state eventually allows promo deductions or not.
Model 1: No promotional deductions allowed
- Handle: $4.04 billion to $5.97 billion.
- Revenue: $295.25 million to $506.15 million
- Promos: $0
- Taxable Revenue: $295.25 million to $506.15 million
- Taxes: $56.59 million to $95.05 million
Model 2: Promotional deductions allowed
- Handle: $4.11 billion to $6.17 billion.
- Revenue: $300.17 million to $521.90 million
- Promos: $100.38 million to $204.71 million
- Taxable Revenue: $199.79 million to $317.18 million
- Taxes: $37.49 million to $57.81 million
LSR projections show that promo deductions could account for between approximately $100 million and $205 million in Massachusetts, leading to a sizable difference in the taxable revenue between the two models.
Whether the state allows promo deductions can also influence handle in the state as promos tend to represent 2-4% of handle in most states. So while handle and gross revenue could be quite a bit higher in Model 2, the promo deductions more than offset those gains from a tax perspective.
Massachusetts sports betting law
When legislators agreed to a compromise on H5164, otherwise known as the “Massachusetts Sports Wagering Act,” it changed the game for sports betting in the state. The law includes the following key features:
- A 20% tax rate for online sports betting and a 15% tax rate for retail;
- A ban on in-state college teams (except when they are playing in tournaments);
- Casinos and racetracks receive sports betting licenses;
- Authorizes 15 online sports betting licenses: seven available by competitive bid, and eight tied to a land-based partner (casino or racetrack);
- No advertising ban, but credit card deposits for funding accounts will be prohibited.
Sports betting as an individual state decision was unavailable until May 2018. However, after hearing the oral arguments to the US Supreme Court in December 2017 against PASPA, lawmakers in many states began to introduce measures to legalize sports betting in anticipation of a favorable ruling from the Court. Massachusetts State Sen. Eileen Donoghue was one of those forward-looking lawmakers when she introduced the first sports betting bill in Massachusetts history in January 2018.
The bill never gained much traction. It did, however, touch off a slew of measures that would implement sports betting in Massachusetts. None were successful until the Massachusetts Sports Wagering Act of 2022 finally made its way through the state Legislature. A compromise was reached in the final moments of July 31 and the governor had 10 days to accept or reject the bill. Massachusetts joins 30 other states with legal sports betting. The law allows for seven online sportsbooks along with retail betting.
Although state representatives passed a sports betting bill by a lopsided 156-3-1 margin in July 2021, the bill bogged down in the Senate amid the aforementioned budget concerns (or, more accurately, a lack thereof.) The Senate did have its own sports betting bill active during the same period, but it met with similar legislative resistance. A late-night compromise resulted in a favorable vote on Aug. 1. Gov. Baker signed it one day before the 10-day deadline.
Legal betting options in Massachusetts
The 2022 MA sports betting law legalizes the activity, and bettors can now place wagers in-person and online.
There are some online sportsbooks that claim they can legally accept bets from throughout the United States. But legal US sports betting is licensed at the state level, which means there are no legal websites in the US that can take bets from every state.
Betting with these offshore, unregulated operators could lead to issues when it comes to getting paid. Without a license to protect consumers, these operators could choose to not pay out winning bets or close the sportsbook without returning customer funds.
US citizens would have no legal right to try to recover the funds.
Casino gambling in Massachusetts
While people wait for sports betting to launch in Massachusetts, there are other options for gambling that are legal. For starters, Massachusetts is home to two full-scale casino resorts and a third slots-only racino. The locations, respectively, are:
- MGM Springfield – Springfield
- Encore Boston Harbor – Everett
- Plainridge Park Casino – Plainville
There is the possibility that another location could join these three venues at some point in the future. The 2011 Expanded Gaming Act also allowed for a third casino resort to be built in the eastern third of the state. Various entities, including one of Massachusetts’ federally recognized tribal groups, has attempted to bring this venue to life in the years since, but nothing solid is in place yet.
Online horse betting in Massachusetts
Horse racing and horse betting are both legal in Massachusetts. The state allows citizens to bet on horses through online horse betting sites such as TVG. The site has a broadcast network dedicated exclusively to horse racing that offers advice to handicappers around the clock.
Plainridge Park Casino is the only location in the state to offer any kind of live racing and the pari-mutuel wagering that follows with it. The facility in Plainville offers harness racing between April and November. However, it offers slot play and simulcast wagering opportunities on a year-round basis. Two other locations, which are former tracks themselves, offer simulcasting as well. Both Raynham Park and Suffolk Downs are open seven days a week for off-track betting on races across the country.
MA and daily fantasy sports
Massachusetts has a credible claim as the capital of daily fantasy sports in the US. As we mentioned earlier, DFS pioneer and industry giant DraftKings came to life in Boston, and DK houses 650 of its key personnel in adjoining buildings on Boylston and Berkeley streets in Back Bay.
Legal DFS play in Massachusetts goes back to 2016 and is a part of daily life in the Bay State.
Most popular sports to bet on in Mass.
Massachusetts and its residents are well-rounded when it comes to sports. The state has a team in all four major US sports leagues and residents support all of them passionately.
The NFL’s New England Patriots have been favorites of bettors for years, but the team has undergone some changes since Tom Brady left for sunnier pastures in Tampa. He has since retired from the game.
But Massachusetts is far from a one-sport state. The MLB’s Boston Red Sox kept their loyal fans waiting 86 years in between World Series until the team finally shook off the Curse of the Bambino in 2004. Since then, the Red Sox are more often than not in the running for a World Series win, which should keep them popular at sportsbooks.
The NBA’s Celtics and NHL’s Bruins have also had their share of success over the last two decades. The Celtics won an NBA Championship in 2008 while the Bruins took home the Stanley Cup in 2011.
Massachusetts also has eight Division I colleges in the state, with two – the Boston College Eagles and the UMass Minutemen – playing at the FBS level. However, Massachusetts bettors are not able to bet on in-state schools, unless those teams are in a tournament such as the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament.
MA sports betting history
2023: Legal sports betting officially launched in Massachusetts with the first in-person bets placed at the three casinos in the state on January 31.
On March 10, online sports betting went live in Massachusetts with the launch of six online sports betting apps.
2022: In the final moments of the legislative session, Massachusetts lawmakers reached a compromise on H5164. The bill legalizes sports betting in the state both online and in person. On Aug. 1, the bill passed the Senate by a 36-4 vote. Outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker signed the bill into law on Aug. 10, something he had long promised to do should a sports betting bill ever pass. In December, the MGC announced its intention to launch retail sports betting on January 31, 2023 with online sports betting to follow soon after.
2021: Efforts to pass sports betting ramped up in the first half of the year. At one point, there were 23 different sports betting bills on file between the House and Senate. The House finally distills its movements into H3977. The proposal passes the lower chamber by a vote of 156-3-1. An amendment process and passage in the Senate is the roadblock for sports betting in Massachusetts since Gov. Charlie Baker publicly voiced his support for the activity.
An unexpected budget surplus disrupted the forward momentum of both H3977 and a similar Senate-produced bill. Senate President Karen Spilka declared sports betting to be on the back burner and named five issues of higher priority for the upper chamber. Sports betting dies in the Senate Ways and Means Committee and sends supporters back to the drawing board for 2022.
2020: The House attempted to work sports betting into an economic development bill with less than two weeks left in the formal session.
The House overwhelmingly supported the bill with its sports betting language, but the Senate disagreed. Its amended version of the House bill included no sports betting language at all despite multiple attempts.
Sen. Michael Brady, who submitted sports betting language for the Senate amendment, told LSR that sports betting would be up for discussion before the end of 2020. However, resistance in the Senate proved to be too much to overcome, and the session passed without a sports betting bill moving through.
2019: Multiple sports betting bills were submitted in 2019, though none received significant attention.
Massachusetts sports betting FAQ?
Who will be able to bet on sports in Massachusetts?
Anyone over the age of 21 and inside Massachusetts is able to wager on sporting events in the state. While some selected activities — lottery and pari-mutuel wagering — require players only to be 18, most gambling options in the state mandate that you be 21 or older.
Who oversees sports betting in Massachusetts?
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission oversees all gambling in the state, including sports betting.
What can I bet on in MA?
According to the 2022 law, almost any sport with the exception of in-state NCAA colleges. Boston College, therefore, is off limits for bets with the exception of tournaments. Esports betting, on the other hand, is up to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to decide whether to permit it in the state.
Where can I bet on sports in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts residents are able to bet online and in person. Online sports betting apps are live in the state and available to bettors. There are also casinos in the state offering in-person sports betting.
Can I bet on sports on my phone in Massachusetts?
Yes. Bettors can sign up and bet on several sports betting apps in Massachusetts. There are offshore sportsbook operators that claim they can accept bets from anywhere in the United States. Since sports betting is licensed at the state level, no operator can accept bets from all US jurisdictions.