Massachusetts has joined a list of US states seeking to regulate online casinos in 2025.
Lawmakers in the Bay State have presented a pair of bills – SD 2240 by Senator Paul Feeney and HD 4084 by Representative Daniel Cahill – with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) being in charge of licensing and regulating iGaming activity in the market.
The bills allow each of the state’s three land-based casinos – Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park Casino – to have up to two operator partners for Category 1 licenses. In addition, a maximum of four untethered Category 2 licenses are available.
Regarding the Category 1 licence, these iGaming platforms do not need to be co-branded, but all licence holders can offer an online casino brand, a second brand for online poker, or all their offerings under one brand.
Online casinos in Massachusetts would be allowed to have blackjack, card games, craps, poker, roulette, slots and other casino games on their platforms. All approved operators would also have to pay $5m for a five-year licence, taxed at 20%.
The bill would also permit the MGC to enter into an “internet gaming reciprocal agreement”, for example the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association, with other states or foreign jurisdictions.
Massachusetts’ bills follow a flurry of iGaming proposals across several states in the US since the beginning of the year.
Earlier this month, Senator Joseph Addabbo presented S2614 to the New York Senate, which seeks to legalise and regulate online casinos, as well as online lottery sales and games in the Empire State.
Other states that have presented iGaming bills in recent weeks include Indiana, Maryland and Wyoming, while a bill to regulate sweepstake casinos was introduced in New Jersey.
However, it looks as though an online casino bill in Virginia will not be progressing in 2025, as lawmakers in the state wish to investigate the matter further.
iGaming Expert Insight: The casino sector will be looking to mirror the engagement of online sports wagering in Massachusetts, as revenue for the vertical tallied at $57.5m in December. Furthermore, the appetite for casino games is present, as December’s casino wagering at the state’s three casinos reached a total gross gaming revenue of $102.2m, with slots GGR coming in at $70.1m.
