Betr, a micro-betting online sportsbook, is one step closer to getting a Massachusetts online sports betting license.
The Australian app backed by social media star and celebrity boxer Jake Paul met the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s conditions to obtaining a license on Tuesday. The MGC will do a final vote on Betr, and the other untethered Category 3 license applicants, on Jan. 18.
Betr is currently live in just one state — Ohio, which launched sports betting Jan. 1. It hopes to launch in Massachusetts, Virginia, Indiana, and Maryland. It also plans to expand to real-money fantasy sports and online casino gambling later in 2023.
The microbetting app checked many of the boxes the MGC is looking for when it comes to online sportsbooks. For one thing, Betr doesn’t accept credit cards, which falls directly in line with MA regulations. Also, Betr pledged to make a “significant number” of hires in Massachusetts. In addition, Betr won’t take bets on any fight Paul is in, and it will be cautious when it comes to conflicts of interest in the boxing and MMA realm.
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Issues Raised With Betr
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Betr, though. The MGC had concerns about how Betr’s social media and gambling business interact when it comes to underage gamblers. And, even though Betr won’t take bets on Paul bouts, it still raises eyebrows to have an athlete as the face of a sports betting platform.
“We would not do anything to potentially even provide the sense that integrity with that IP may be compromised in any sort of way,” said Joey Levy, Betr’s co-founder and CEO.
The MGC also had issue with allegations of sexual assault involving Paul. Paul denied all of the allegations.
“Everything is exponentially magnified,” he told commissioners. “You live quite literally under a microscope, and you certainly get more opportunities but you’re also taken advantage of more often, mistakes magnified, publicized, and re-publicized.
“You become a bigger target for frivolous claims, lawsuits, media headlines.”
So far, Betr, Bally Bet, and FanDuel have passed the MGC’s first test for MA online sportsbook licenses. If will conduct a final vote on those three sportsbooks, as well as any others that clear the first hurdle, on Jan. 18.
