Fanatics Sportsbook and Betr each took one more step down the road to offering legal wagering in Massachusetts when the state gaming commission approved Fanatics’ house rules Tuesday and issued Betr a certificate of operation. Both companies already have temporary licenses and are preparing to launch digital platforms.
Fanatics, which is beta-testing its in-house proprietary platform in Ohio and Tennessee, is also licensed in Maryland, where it opened its first brick-and-mortar sportsbook at FedEx Field in January. The next step for the company in Massachusetts will be receiving its certificate of operation, the final stage before a platform can launch in the state. Fanatics Sportsbook has pointed to May as a potential launch month for Massachusetts, though based on its actions in Ohio and Tennessee, it’s likely the company will instead be beta-testing in the Bay State at that point.
Fanatics has not released go-live dates for anywhere in the U.S., but Sports Handle last week obtained a peek at what its sportsbook platform, built on Amelco code, looks like. CEO Michael Rubin is promising an experience to rival that of industry leaders DraftKings and FanDuel.
“You’ll measure that based on the app score, you’ll measure that based on customer satisfaction,” Rubin told Sports Business Journal editor Abe Madkour at a conference earlier this month. “I think we’ll have a great product by the end of the year. I think we’ll have a product that’s every bit as competitive as FanDuel and DraftKings. Those are two really good products — that’s what my team is telling me and I believe we can.”
Eight platforms could be up by June
Betr, the microbetting platform owned by Jake Paul, is live online in Ohio, where it began accepting wagers in January. Betr got its Virginia license in March, but it hasn’t launched there yet. Both Betr and Fanatics proclaimed prior to Massachusetts’ March 10 launch date that they would start things up later this year, and while Betr has not announced a specific date, it has pointed to April in the past.
When both platforms are up and running, it will bring the number of available options in Massachusetts to eight. Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and WynnBET all went live digitally March 10.
Running March Top 10 #SportsBetting handles by state:
1 New York $1.79B
2 New Jersey $1.03B
3 NEVADA $830.5M <-NEW
4 Pennsylvania $723.5M
5 Massachusetts $568.1M
6 Indiana $433M
7 Michigan $421.7M
8 Tennessee $392.7M
9Maryland ~$386M
10 Louisiana $249.3M#GamblingTwitter— Chris Altruda (@AlTruda73) April 25, 2023
Additionally, Bally Bet and Betway both have temporary licenses, but neither launched on the universal date.
The commission also reviewed the list of wagers that will be available for the NFL Draft, which begins in Kansas City on Thursday. Betting on the draft is legal in Massachusetts, but with some restrictions in terms of timing.
For example, if a bettor wanted to wager on how many players from a single school will be selected throughout the draft, the wager must be placed before the first pick of the first round. Or if a customer wants to put money on where a particular player will go in the draft, the bet must be placed at least two picks ahead of the selected spot.
The MGC also held public hearings around its involuntary exclusion program and Wynn’s proposal to “construct a phased development” across the street from its current Encore Boston Harbor location in Everett.
