Online Lottery (Likely) Coming To MA
After a decade of pleading, the Massachusetts Lottery is on the precipice of getting the go-ahead to offer online lottery products.
The Bulletin Board
NEWS: Massachusetts is an inch away from having an online lottery.
WEEKEND CATCHUP: Bet365 in PA; Quote of the Week from SEC Commish; Jaguars sue disgraced former employee.
NEWS: NCLGS isn’t the only group pushing “model legislation.” Professional leagues and the NCAA are also trying to shape sports betting legislation.
QUICK HITTER: How clear are the sports betting rules athletes should know?
AROUND the WATERCOOLER: SuperBook ends its mobile betting adventure.
STRAY THOUGHTS: There may be typos.
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Massachusetts Is Finally Getting an Online Lottery
Massachusetts is on the cusp of legalizing online lottery products.
“Massachusetts is making a late push to add iLottery to its FY25 budget. Senate and House members are meeting today to pass on the option to Gov. Maura Healey.” Play Ilottery’s Drew Ellis tweeted on Friday.
Ellis later tweeted, “The Massachusetts House approved the new budget 154-3, while the Senate was unanimous in approval, 40-0. Gov. Healey just needs to sign, and iLottery will be coming to the state in the near future.”
As Ellis noted, the budget just needs Gov. Maura Healey’s signature, which seems like a foregone conclusion given the comments from Lottery Executive Director Mark William Bracken.
“Our team is excited to implement an online Lottery,” Bracken told Mass Live. “We are ready and prepared to offer our players a modern lottery experience in a safe and accessible environment.”
What will the Massachusetts online lottery look like?
The big difference is the age requirement, which will be raised to 21 — retail tickets will remain 18+. There will also be some mobile sports betting-esque marketing restrictions.
It’s not 100 percent clear, but the language seems to include instant-win games, as it reads, “lottery tickets, games, and shares.”
The Massachusetts Lottery has been fighting to add online sales for years, and I’ve been writing about the state’s online lottery ambitions for a decade.
It’s been a slow crawl to this point. Massachusetts approved Jackpocket (an online courier service last year and has offered online ticket redemption since September 2021.
And as I wrote in August 2023:
“Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg has long advocated for the legislature to authorize complete online sales. With the redemption program and Jackpocket, the state is getting extremely close to that point, even without legislative approval.”
It looks like online lottery supporters will finally get their wish.
Weekend Catchup: Bet365 in PA; Quote of the Week from SEC Commish; Jaguars Sue Disgraced Former Employee
Bet365 is live in Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has officially approved Bet365’s launch of its sports betting and online casino app in the state through its partnership with Churchill Downs’ Presque Isle Downs & Casino. With the addition of Pennsylvania, Bet365 is active in 11 states: New Jersey, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana, Arizona, and North Carolina.
Quote of the Week: “It’s not good enough for states just to allow legalized sports gambling. They owe protection to the participants, and the online and direct pressures that come from those who aren’t successful in their gambling decisions affect our participants in every state,” SEC Commissioner James Sankey said during prepared remarks at the SEC Media Days. “Legalized sports gambling needs to put in place clearly stated laws that protect participants from hostile behavior.”
Jaguars file civil suit against former employee: The Jacksonville Jaguars have filed a lawsuit against former employee Amir Patel, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and engaging in illegal monetary transactions last December. According to a legal expert ESPN spoke with, by filing a civil suit, the Jaguars have a better chance of recovering some of the stolen funds from Patel. The team is seeking $66 million in damages. Patel embezzled over $22 million from the team’s credit card program.
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Leagues and the NCAA Have Plans for Model Legislation
Last week, I reported on MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s comments about the possibility of federal oversight. This week, I want to focus on his remarks about player harassment in the legal sports betting era.
“If a player receives a threat from any source, on any topic, it is a matter of concern to us that we take really seriously,” Manfred said before this year’s All-Star Game. “I’ve had players in the last month mention this issue to me as one of concern, and we’re discussing what we should do to be more proactive in this area.”
Harassment has become a major concern, particularly at the collegiate level. At last week’s National Council of Legislators from Gaming States conference, Jessica Welman reports that “the NCAA’s Clint Hangebrauch said the organization has drafted what it thinks model sports betting legislation looks like, been chatting with lawmakers about it… Hangebrauch echoing what most people near college athletes have said: The abuse and threats towards athletes is real and substantial.”
Player threats are a driving force behind the NCAA’s efforts to ban prop bets on college athletes, which is likely a centerpiece of the NCAA’s “model sports betting legislation.”
Check out tomorrow’s newsletter for my thoughts on the rudimentary beginnings of the “model online gambling legislation” that is being proposed by the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States.
Quick Hitter: Betting Rules Buried in a Wall of Text
Game integrity is front and center in every public statement about sports betting from any representative of a professional sports league.
“I think everyone in baseball knows those policies clearly,” Pittsburgh Pirates owner Robert Nutting said of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision to suspend Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano for life. “I think it was a very unusual aberration, and we certainly support what Rob did.”
But are the rules that clear?
Based on these pictures from the Steelers locker room posted by Jessica Welman, the sports betting rules (along with other essential rules) look like something I would walk past every day and never read.
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Around the Watercooler
Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.
Another US sportsbook pulls the plug (on most of its mobile states).
As Prime Sports Joe Brennan Jr. put it on X, “Superbook had decades of brand equity and some good people, but…”
Others (Robert Walker and Joey Knish) were a bit more critical:
Stray Thoughts
Typing this newsletter has been an adventure as I’m doing it with one good hand and the other in a partial cast — not the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s vying for a spot in the Top 5.
Apologies in advance for any typos you might find over the coming couple of weeks.
