Following a misunderstanding last month, Digital Gaming Corp., operating in Massachusetts as Betway, was awarded a temporary digital sports wagering license in the state Tuesday. The company paid its $1 million licensing fee and requested the license after it and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission reviewed the process last week.
Betway is one of five companies to get approval as a standalone mobile operator in the Bay State, where digital wagering is set to begin March 10. Bally Bet, Betr, DraftKings, and FanDuel are the other four. PointsBet was initially approved for a temporary license as well, but withdrew its application last week.
In total, the MGC has approved 10 digital licensees for launch. Barstool Sportsbook (Plainridge Park), BetMGM (MGM Springfield), Betr, Caesars Sportsbook (Encore Boston Harbor), DraftKings, FanDuel, and WynnBET (Encore Boston Harbor) have plans to launch March 10. Bally Bet, Betway, and Fanatics are also approved, but won’t go live next week.
There are three additional digital licenses available: two standalone licenses, and one tethered to MGM Springfield. Each of the three casinos are entitled to up to two skins, and the MGC can award up to seven untethered mobile licenses.
More rules approvals coming Wednesday
Betway executives told the MGC during its application review that it would not go live on the universal launch date as it has recently been acquired by Super Group. Tuesday, it told the commission it’s aiming for an early-2024 launch. The MGC, however, is requiring approved applicants to claim their temporary licenses and pay the application fee as soon as possible after approval.
As the calendar ticks down, the MGC is working through digital wagering rules and it appears it will rework 205-CMR-256, which deals with affiliate marketing. The commission spent two hours Monday discussing the pros and cons of allowing affiliates — which are currently banned in the state — to operate, and appeared headed toward revising its rule to allow affiliate-operator deals.
Tuesday, the commission was set to vote on rules around its new “cooling off period,” accounting, internal controls, and other details, but operator comments came in as late as Tuesday morning, so the decision was made to move the vote to Wednesday.
