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The launch of retail sports betting in Massachusetts on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. is close at hand, and the state’s three casinos are planning opening day activities.
Plainridge Park Casino is the first to reveal some launch day events. Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield have kept details of sports betting opening day “under wraps” so far, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission during the agency’s public hearings Tuesday.
PPC will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. New England Patriots legend Rob Ninkovich will place the first wager at the casino’s retail Barstool Sportsbook. PPC was the last of the three casinos to get approval, which happened in late December.
The casino will have 20 sports betting kiosks and six point-of-sale terminals for customers on opening day. Encore Boston Harbor will have 118 kiosks and eight terminals, while MGM Springfield will open with 18 kiosks and eight terminals.
The MGC visited every site to test the equipment with the technical guidance of Gaming Laboratories International, a state-approved equipment testing lab. No machines failed GLI’s final tests.
The MGC approved the following types of wagers:
- Cash Out
- Exchange Wagers
- Parlay
- Pools
- Round Robin
- Single
- Teasers/Pleasers
What’s Next for Sportsbooks in Massachusetts?
These retail sportsbooks will provide the only sports betting option for the Super Bowl on Feb. 12.
March brings another milestone for Massachusetts sportsbooks as online sports betting will launch then per the MGC’s announced timeline. The state’s casinos, classified as Category 1 operators, are allowed to partner with up to two online sports betting operators, which are grouped as Category 3.
PPC has two mobile sports betting partners: BetFanatics and PENN Gaming (Barstool Sportsbook). BetFanatics received approval for a license from the MGC and recently opened its first sportsbook on Jan. 20 at FedEx Field in Maryland.
The MGC continues its public hearings, which are available for the public to view on the agency’s YouTube channel.
