A bill to legalize online casinos in Massachusetts has been effectively set aside. While lawmakers could still discuss it this legislative session, it’s more likely they shelve it until 2027 or kill the entire legislation.
Rep. David Muradian Jr. (R) sponsored bill H.4431. The legislation legalizes online gaming and poker in the Bay State. The Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies voted 11-0 to move the bill to study.
A study order means the bill could be looked at during recess. However, it’s usually how lawmakers quietly kill the measure.
Details On The Plan
Under Muradian’s bill, the state’s three casinos – Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, MGM Springfield, and Encore Boston Harbor in Everett – could offer up to three online gaming skins.
The Massachusetts Gaming commission would regulate the industry. Additionally, the state would tax 15% of gross revenue. Operators would pay a $100,000 application fee plus an additional $50,000 for each skin.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission seemed on board with creating an online gaming framework.
“The commission believes that if you choose to gamble, the best place to gamble is with a licensed and regulated operator in the commonwealth,” commission spokesman Thomas Mills told Boston.com.
Lastly, the bill bans sweepstakes casino operators. Muradian saw the bill as a way to move players into a regulated market that provides revenue to the state.
“Illegal internet gaming channels operating throughout the United States pose a critical threat to the safety and welfare of the citizens of the commonwealth,” the bill says. “A secure and highly regulated policy framework will protect the public and positively benefit state revenues and the commonwealth’s economy.”
Online Poker Also On Hold
For online poker, the bill allows for “reciprocal agreements with other approved jurisdictions,” meaning joining the country’s Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA).
The MSIGA currently includes Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, Delaware, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Massachusetts could potentially add millions of people to the shared liquidity pool.
It’s unknown if the bill will be brought back at a later date. While sports betting has grown rapidly across the country in recent years, online gaming has seen a slower pace of expansion. Maine became the latest after officially legalizing online gaming and poker in January.
Attempts to legalize online gaming in Virginia, however, ended on Saturday after the legislative session came to a close without legislators agreeing on a final bill in conference committee.
