Massachusetts Online Betting Sites

Congratulations, Massachusetts! You are newest member of the 24 states plus D.C. that allow online sports betting. Governor Charlie Baker signed a sports betting bill on August 10th, 2022 that passed in the closing hours of the legislative session. Lawmakers had been lobbying to legalize Massachusetts online betting sites for a few years, although previous bills received little attention.

Finally, a bill was passed and signed, and on January 31st, 2023, retail locations began accepting sports bets. Online betting sites launched on March 10th, just in time for residents to get in on the March Madness action.

Sports Betting in Massachusetts

Sports betting in MA has only been around for a few short months and online betting just a couple of weeks. Residents have a variety of options when it comes to Massachusetts online betting sites. There are currently six legal online sportsbooks in the state.

• FanDuel
• Bet MGM
• Caesar’s
• WynnBet
• Barstool
• DraftKings

New users can enjoy a wide variety of promotions and bonuses for signing up, some are even specific to your state! We also offer a review of several sportsbooks, including some available in MA.

A few other books are also set to open throughout the rest of the year and into 2024.

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Sports Betting Legalization in MA

As stated above, sports betting has been discussed by lawmakers quite a bit over the past few years. Since states could decide for themselves in 2018, Bay State residents and politicians have backed sports betting bills. Boston is a huge sports city with internationally recognized teams like the Red Sox and Celtics. It’s no surprise that these fans would be heavily invested in bringing sports betting sites to their state.

In 2019 and 2020, bills were overwhelmingly supported by the House, while it was tough to get them through the Senate. Talks really began to increase at the start of the 2021 session, where at one point, there were 23 different sports betting bills floating around the Massachusetts political system. One passed the House by a vote of 156-3-1, but other priorities blocked the bill in the Senate.

Finally, towards the end of the 2022 political session, lawmakers passed bill H5164 by a 36-4 vote in the Senate. This bill legalized both online and retail sports betting within the state. Gov. Baker signed the bill into law in August, and by the beginning of the new year, sports betting was live in the state. Residents had to wait until March for Massachusetts online betting sites to officially launch.

Neighboring States

Players in Massachusetts can finally access legal sportsbooks. It is surprising that the state took so long to legalize online betting sites, especially since is the neighboring states, including, Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island have legalized mobile and online sports betting.

Residents can finally bet from the comfort of their own homes, rather than having to drive to one of several neighboring states. It really just made sense for Massachusetts to allow these online betting sites.

Sports Betting Restrictions

Massachusetts does not have any outrageous regulations or restrictions when it comes to sports betting. Users are free to wager on both professional and college events, and are free to wager on all types of player props.

However, Massachusetts is one of the states that prohibits wagering on in-state college teams, but there is an exception. Users are allowed to wager on in-state colleges, think Boston College, UMass or Harvard, if they are competing in a tournament.

So, residents can back their favorite state college teams during a conference tournament or if they make the Big Dance, but not during the regular season. In line with pretty much every other state, sports betting is banned on high school sports, for good reason.

Deposit Restrictions

Massachusetts also has an interesting restriction regarding depositing funds into your sportsbook account. Users are prohibited from using a credit card to fund their accounts. Instead, residents must directly deposit from their checking account.

Don’t worry, these sites are legal and regulated, so they keep your personal information safe and secure.

Other Massachusetts Gambling Options

Along with online sports betting, Massachusetts residents have several other gambling options available to choose from. Massachusetts online betting sites are available, but residents can also play casino games in-person as well. There are three operational casinos in the state, two full-scale and one that is slots-only.

Daily Fantasy Sports

With one of the biggest names in the DFS industry originating in Boston, it is no surprise that these types of games have been legal in the state since 2016. DraftKings helped pave the way for DFS and sports betting across the country. Massachusetts can almost claim that they are the capital of daily fantasy sports in America.

Horse Racing in Massachusetts

Betting on horse racing in Massachusetts was the first legal gambling activity in the state. Pari-mutuel betting was legalized in 1934. Legalized betting on horse racing was also allowed in the 1930s. However, in 2008, the last dog racing track in MA shut down and there are now no options for this form of wagering.

Despite a deep-rooted history of horse race betting in the Bay State, racing in the state has seen a share of ups and downs. However, today Plainridge Park Casino is the only venue to offer pari-mutuel wagering and live racing. Here, harness racing is on show between April and November. But the racetrack also has slot games and simulcast wagering year-round.

Raynham Park and Suffolk Downs also offer off-track betting options. The venues used to be racetracks before they were converted to casino-like establishments. Both offer simulcast wagering as well as some slot games.

Online Horse Betting Options in MA

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Unsurprisingly, Plainridge Park does not provide online wagering options. As a result, there are no state-based online horse betting options in MA.

However, in recent years, several companies have started to take online horse betting from around the country. These sites, like DRFBets, TwinSpires, TVG, and XpressBet, means Massachusetts residents can bet from their homes or mobile devices. Such websites specialize in horse racing bets and markets. Each one provides an in-depth horse betting platform.

For now, these are the only online horse betting options in the state. Although, if online sports betting bills continue to make progress, this could change in the future. Many established US bookmakers offer horse racing options on their platforms.

Casino Gambling in Massachusetts

Massachusetts is not a state that is well-renowned for its in-person gambling options. In fact, up until only a few years ago, there was no legal casino gambling in the state. As a result, bettors in the state were mostly heading to neighboring Connecticut to wager on casino games.

But this has changed in recent years. In 2011, state lawmakers passed a bill to open casinos and one slot parlor. Three casinos now operate in the state. MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor are the only fully-fledged casinos. The other venue is the slots-only casino at Plainridge Racetrack.

Despite the limited options for MA residents, more casinos are in development. The state’s first tribal casino, the First Light Casino and Resort is still being built. Although, its open date is not available yet as the development is surrounded by legal issues.

At present, there are no plans in place to add to the three casinos and one slot parlor in MA.

When will online Casinos launch in Massachusetts?

Today, online casino games remain illegal in Massachusetts. Despite laws making land-based casinos legal, the Massachusetts government stopped short of making online casinos legal.

Any developments involving Massachusetts online betting sites are unlikely to involve casino games. This is due to the legalization of sports betting and online sportsbooks dominating the conversation. Due to this, online casinos will not be on the agenda for MA bettors.

For now, the only options available for residents in the Bay State are to visit a land-based casino. Alternatively, players can freely join social casinos. Here, players wager on casino games like poker, blackjack, and roulette for virtual coins rather than for real money.

The Massachusetts Lottery

Even though there are some limitations on gambling in Massachusetts, the lottery has been available for 50 years. In 1972, the Bay State became one of the first states in the US to legalize the lottery.

To date, the lottery is incredibly popular in Massachusetts. Bettors can access a variety of games. The likes of the Massachusetts live draw games, like Powerball and Megamillions award up to a billion dollars in some instances. In addition, the daily draw games and the instant scratch tickets are popular.

One of the other options for the lottery is the pull-tab games. These are available for purchase in bars around the state, which are much cheaper. But the games still give players a chance to win an instant prize.

Massachusetts Online Betting Sites FAQs