Massachusetts: ‘Bring sports betting into the daylight.’ New bill omits college and youth games, focuses on problem gambling

Massachusetts: ‘Bring sports betting into the daylight.’ New bill omits college and youth games, focuses on problem gambling

Article brief provided by MassLive.com
  • Peter Goonan, MassLive.com
February 23, 2021 2:45 AM
  • Peter Goonan, MassLive.com

State Sen. Eric Lesser says his sports betting bill will generate millions of dollars in new tax revenue while omitting betting on college and youth sports and protecting consumers and the integrity of the games.

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Lesser offered an overview of the bill in an online press conference Monday, saying the legislation draws lessons from the successes and problems of legal sports gambling laws in other states.

“If done correctly, the idea here is to bring sports betting into the daylight, legalize it and, in a real-time way, monitor it so that potential violations or problems can be quickly identified and dealt with,” Lesser said.

The Longmeadow Democrat’s bill calls for a $1 million application fee for existing casinos and racetracks, and a $2 million fee for gambling venues with no brick-and-mortar presence. The difference takes into account the existing casinos’ multimillion-dollar investments, Lesser said.