Eight online sportsbooks are operating in the Bay State right now. A ninth is coming, but we still don’t know when that launch is coming.
Eventually, Bally Bet will join the Massachusetts online sports betting market. It’s just a matter of when.
PlayMA reached out to the company for clarity on the timeline. But a Bally Bet spokesperson declined to comment on the situation.
The company already operates in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, New York, Virginia and Ohio. The Bay State will be Bally Bet’s eighth jurisdiction.
New Bally Bet platform likely intensified the delay
Massachusetts online sports betting started in March. Originally, Bally Bet was supposed to be a part of the initial launch.
However, the company failed to launch. Then, it hinted at a possible May launch. As May approached, it was clear that Bally Bet would further delay its entry into the market.
Bally Bet announced it entered into a multi-year contract with Kambi Group, a gaming technology provider. The partnership allowed Kambi Group to host the Bally Bet platform.
Consequently, Bally Bet paused its operations. They stopped accepting wagers nationwide on June 22. Customers had until June 30 to withdraw their funds.
They seamlessly relaunched in the seven other states following the transition. Massachusetts is probably the next state where Bally Bet makes their presence felt.
Despite awarding license, regulators have no insight
Since Bally Bet anticipated launching with the other Massachusetts first-movers, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved them for an untethered license.
In other words, Bally’s is not required to partner with a Massachusetts casino or horse racing simulcast facility.
However, the MGC has no insight into when Bally Bet will be available to Massachusetts bettors either.
“Right now, I do not have any news on Bally Bet’s timeline,” MGC communications division chief Thomas Mills told PlayMA. “They were found preliminarily suitable for a category 3 sports wagering license. Before any movement on their operations in Massachusetts, they would have to come before the commission and receive a certificate of operations.”
According to the MGC meeting agendas, Bally Bet approval isn’t scheduled for the Oct. 19, Nov. 2 or the Nov. 16 meeting.
It appears a best-case scenario for Bally Bet Massachusetts is a December launch.
