Another US sports betting platform has passed the first test for a Massachusetts online sportsbook license.
On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission gave an initial stamp of approval to PointsBet. PointsBet is legal and live in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia. Barring the unexpected, Massachusetts will join that list in March.
PointsBet is one of six apps that applied for untethered Category 3 MA online sports betting licenses. All six now have passed the first hurdle: PointsBet, Betway, Betr, Bally Bet, FanDuel, and DraftKings.
The MGC plans to begin conducting a final vote on the Category 3 license applications on Wednesday.
Beyond Category 3 licenses, the MGC has already approved tethered Category 2 online licenses for Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, BetFanatics, WynnBET, and Barstool Sportsbook. It has also approved Category 1 retail licenses for MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor, and Plainridge Park Casino.
Retail sports betting will launch Jan. 31, with a soft launch on Jan. 30. That will be in time for Super Bowl 57. Then, online sports betting is expected to launch in late February or March — potentially in time for March Madness. Postseason tournaments such as the NCAA Tournament will be the only time Massachusetts bettors can gamble on in-state colleges.
LOOK AHEAD: Potential Massachusetts Sports Betting Welcome Promos
How Likely Is It That PointsBet Massachusetts Will Launch?
It’s highly likely that PointsBet, and the other five online sports betting apps that cleared the MGC’s first hurdle, will receive final approval from the committee and gear up for launch — probably in March.
These companies have already met the MGC’s requirements to obtain a license. The final votes are more about collecting more information about each individual future Massachusetts sportsbook app than still needing to decide whether or not to approve.
All in all, we should have a very clear idea of which MA sports betting apps will be available in the coming days.
