Lottery facing headwinds, sales down

Officials say lotteries across country are facing similar problems

By Colin A. Young 0 Comments Sep 27, 2022

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY and an expanding menu of gambling options send lottery sales into a slide in Massachusetts and across the country, Massachusetts officials are thinking about making changes to “adjust to the current market structure” according to the head of the Lottery. Lottery sales in August were down $35.9 million,(...)

Sports betting regulators confront licensing quirks

Applicants say temp licenses, head starts don’t make sense

By Shira Schoenberg Gambling, Sports betting 0 Comments Sep 22, 2022

THERE’S AN ODD quirk in the law legalizing sports betting in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is allowed to license seven mobile sports betting apps, in addition to mobile apps that are tied to in-person gaming facilities like casinos and racetracks. But the law also lets the commission give an unlimited number of temporary mobile(...)

Casinos ready to go on sports betting

Regulatory process will take several months

By Shira Schoenberg Casinos, Sports betting 0 Comments Aug 19, 2022

AT A MEETING a meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Thursday, the message from the state’s three casinos was clear: We’re ready to roll. To roll out sports betting, that is. The holdup, however, will be the length of time it takes the commission to develop and implement regulations for the brand new industry.(...)

A loud lament over the latest gambling embrace by state leaders

Lawrence’s Les Bernal says we’re just expanding state-sanctioned exploitation

By Michael Jonas Gambling, Les Bernal, Sports betting 0 Comments Aug 17, 2022

THERE WERE WHOOPS AND HOLLERS from DraftKings, the state’s casinos, and lawmakers as the state legalized sports betting earlier this month. For Les Bernal, it was not a moment to celebrate, but instead marked a new low in how far Massachusetts would go to draw in revenue by exploiting those most vulnerable to the addictive(...)

Nightclub at Encore hit with $25,000 fine

Assessment follows five instances of over-serving alcohol

By Colin A. Young Casinos 0 Comments Aug 16, 2022

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER FIVE separate incidents in which patrons at Encore Boston Harbor’s Memoire nightclub, some of them underage, were served more alcohol than they should have been, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has fined the nightclub operator $25,000 and the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission is upping its presence there. The fine and required(...)

Let the betting begin – in a number of months

Baker signs sports betting into law

By Shira Schoenberg Charlie Baker, Massachusetts Legislature, Sports betting 0 Comments Aug 10, 2022

GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday signed a law legalizing sports betting in Massachusetts, joining more than 30 other states that have authorized sports betting since the US Supreme Court overturned a federal ban in 2018. “Our administration first filed legislation to legalize sports wagering in the Commonwealth several years ago, and I am glad to(...)

Leominster group pursuing fourth casino region

Rosenberg lobbying for expansion in north Worcester County

By Bruce Mohl Casinos 0 Comments Jun 22, 2022

A GROUP of Leominster business officials, with the help of former Senate president and now lobbyist Stan Rosenberg, is pursuing a long-shot, end-of-the-legislative-session bid to create a fourth casino region in Massachusetts in northern Worcester County. Under current state law, there are three casino regions in Massachusetts. The A and B regions are home to(...)

Roadmap to go on sports betting

Lawmakers can find consensus using approaches of other states

By Daniel Wallach and John Nucci Massachusetts Legislature, Sports betting 0 Comments Jun 9, 2022

MAY 14 MARKED the four-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision that struck down the federal ban on state-authorized sports betting. For four years, Massachusetts – home to one of the most sports-obsessed markets in the country in Boston – has watched from the sideline as nearly every other state in New England has(...)

SJC orders discovery into Everett casino land deal

Commission's role In slashing price of parcel under scrutiny

By Colin A. Young Everett, Wynn Resorts 0 Comments May 23, 2022

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICES THE ACTIONS OF the Massachusetts Gaming Commission almost a decade ago could be put under a new microscope after the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Monday that a lower court should look more closely at the “highly unusual character of the commission’s actions” related to the award of a casino license to(...)

Questions continue on lack of sports betting roll call in Senate

Spilka cites consensus on issue, but declines to say where she stands

By Katie Lannan Sports betting 0 Comments May 2, 2022

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SENATE PRESIDENT Karen Spilka on Monday defended the Senate’s decision to pass legislation legalizing sports betting without making individual senators’ votes known. Spilka for weeks had said she wanted to build consensus on the issue before bringing a bill to the floor. The voice vote approving the bill indicates at least(...)