March Madness has come a week early for Massachusetts.
The Bay State is gearing up for six online sportsbooks to launch Friday, just in time for NCAA Tournament betting.
Here is the list of online sportsbook apps that are will launch in MA on Friday at 10 a.m.:
- DraftKings
- BetMGM
- Caesars Sportsbook
- WynnBET
- Barstool Sportsbook
- BetMGM
May celebrates the four-year anniversary online sportsbooks launched in Pennsylvania. BetMGM Sportsbook launched shortly after in December 2020. I live in Pennsylvania, and I’ve had plenty of experience using the BetMGM app.
With more than two full years of betting under my belt, here’s what I can tell you to expect out of the BetMGM MA Sportsbook.
My likes and dislikes with BetMGM app
The launch of a new sportsbook in a new state is going to have to work out the kinks. With BetMGM Sportsbook live for more than two years, there are certainly pros and cons from a Pennsylvania perspective.
Likes
- Promotions are easily seen with a white stripe across a black background at the top of the screen after logging in.
- BetMGM makes it easy to browse the sports you’re looking for with three distinct options: a dropdown button, a search bar and swiping to the sport you want
- Less glitchy compared to other apps.
- Responsible gambling message on the home screen after logging in.
Dislikes
- Does not show any history of settled bets.
READ MORE: Massachusetts Sports Betting Bonuses
I love the recent app upgrades
Massachusetts should be getting BetMGM’s best product. The Las Vegas-based company underwent a massive redesign in August 2022. FanDuel and DraftKings are two of the best apps in PA, in my opinion, because of how easy they are to use and how quick they are. Other apps that I’ve used in PA such as Barstool, BetRivers and Caesars can be glitchy at times.
BetMGM ranks in the same category as FanDuel and DraftKings when I want to place a bet.
With the redesign, BetMGM made it much easier for bettors to bet on their home teams. If a Massachusetts bettor wants to bet on the Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins or Patriots, BetMGM installed a “Local” tab that should have the home team readily available in the sport you chose.
Also, to avoid scrolling through a list of college basketball games on a Saturday, BetMGM parses out tabs of conferences to make teams easier to find. If you don’t know the conference, use the search bar to input the team and they come right up. FanDuel, BetMGM and BetRivers are the only three sportsbook apps that I’ve used with noticeable search bars.
This will help set BetMGM and FanDuel Massachusetts apart in Massachusetts.
BetMGM offers good odds and many odds boosts for parlays
I’m an old soul in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to betting. I’m not a new school bettor that inputs a million parlays. In fact, I can’t remember the last parlay I’ve done because I only do straight bets on spreads and totals.
I track every bet I make and have used seven sportsbooks in Pennsylvania to find the best number and odds I can. BetMGM is my third-most used sportsbook behind Barstool and DraftKings. As I mentioned previously, Barstool can glitch and freeze up at times, but for me, I’ll put up with that if I’m sifting through Massachusetts online sportsbooks to find the best number with the best odds. That might not be the case for everyone.
BetMGM has offered several bets to me where either the spread or total is better by a half-point or the odds are -105 or better, which is rare.
For the parlay bettor, BetMGM offers tons of odds boosts for parlays of three or four legs. Though I don’t use them because I rarely parlay, I always see them.
BetMGM has offered odds boosts for straight bets, but not nearly as frequently. For example, I bet on Wisconsin +4.5 (-115) vs. Purdue last week. With the odds boost promotion, I got Wisconsin at +4.5 (+133). Instead of a $17.39 payout at -115, my payout came to $26.60.
BetMGM did offer me a bonus bet of $57 in honor of Super Bowl 57, but it is not a frequent occurrence.
ALSO READ: BetMGM Hopes To Be Profitable 4 Months After Massachusetts Launch
Easy access to BetMGM online casino
Online casinos in Pennsylvania have been legal since July 2019 and have been a major success. While online casinos haven’t launched in Massachusetts, BetMGM users should know that when the time comes, it’s extremely easy to go back and forth.
After downloading the BetMGM sportsbook app, logging in will take you to the sportsbook. There is a button that’s easily visible on the bottom left that says “casino.” It brings you the most popular slots and live dealer games with one click of a button. There is also a promotions button next to the online casino that breaks down sportsbook and casino promotions.
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
