Mobile sports betting launched in Massachusetts Friday, and the expansion of sports wagering was popular during its first weekend. According to GeoComply, more than 8 million sports betting geolocation transactions were recorded in Massachusetts through Sunday.
Those transactions were recorded across 406,400 player accounts at the six licensed and operational mobile sportsbooks in Massachusetts. Those six sportsbooks are Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and WynnBET.
Follow the Mass launch day action with our live blog.#FanDuel and the Boston Bruins have announced a new partnership.
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“We are privileged to be licensed in Massachusetts and support operators and the [Massachusetts Gaming Commission] as it builds a regulated online sports betting market with responsible gambling hard-boiled into its regulations,” GeoComply SVP of Compliance Lindsay Slader said in a press release. “Massachusetts citizens will benefit from legal online sportsbooks dedicated to greater protection and an increased budget for responsible gambling programs.”
Fifth-busiest state in first weekend
Based on GeoComply’s data, only New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York had more geolocation transactions from March 10-12 than Massachusetts. The state outperformed similarly sized jurisdictions by a wide margin over the weekend.
Despite a higher population (8.7 million people compared to 7 million) than Massachusetts, Virginia recorded just 4.4 geolocation transactions from Friday through Sunday. Arizona (7.4 million) and Indiana (6.8 million) have similar population sizes, yet both states had significantly fewer geolocation transactions than Massachusetts during the weekend. Arizona had 4.9 million and Indiana had 3.5 million.
Maryland (6.2 million people) recorded 5.2 million geolocation transactions during that time frame, notably less than the number in Massachusetts.
Look for the high numbers to continue in the immediate future, as the NCAA Tournament begins this week. While no men’s basketball teams from Massachusetts qualified for the event, the tourney should still interest bettors from the state. Teams from the Northeast have spots in the field, including national title contender UConn. The Huskies are also expected to be competitive in the women’s tournament.
At the professional level, it’s a good time to be a Massachusetts sports fan. The Boston Celtics are a top contender in the Eastern Conference with a record of 47-22, while the NHL‘s Boston Bruins are an absurd 50-10-5. They’re winning at a historic pace, and the Bruins are the odds favorite across multiple sportsbooks to win the Stanley Cup.
