Move FM Global News

BOSTON, Massachusetts: Just days ahead of next week’s start of the NCAA college basketball tournament, sports fans in Massachusetts aged 21 or over were able to place bets on their cellphones, after the state allowed online sports betting.

The move comes one month after Massachusetts residents were allowed to bet in person at the state’s three casinos, Encore Boston Harbor in Boston, Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, and MGM Springfield in Springfield.

The new law includes a 15 percent tax on in-person wagering and 20 percent tax on mobile wagering, which, according to lawmakers, could generate some $60 million in annual tax revenue and $70 million to $80 million in initial licensing fees, which must be renewed every five years.

Richard Bradshaw from Worcester said he was also looking forward to placing online bets, especially directly on college teams that could make March Madness office pools “a thing of the past,” but could draw him to teams and sports he might otherwise ignore.

“To watch a game, a meaningless game, now it is got some meaning if you have got $20 on it. Even golf. I am watching golf if I am betting on it,” he said, as quoted by the Associated Press.

Matt Kalish, president and co-founder of betting company DraftKings, which is already taking bets in more than 20 states where it is legal to do so, said the company is thrilled about the prospects of serving fans of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, New England Patriots and the surging Boston Bruins.

The company was also pleased that the launch came just before the start of the NCAA basketball tournaments, he added.

However, Marlene Warner, CEO of the nonprofit Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health, warned that as a result of the new law, one demographic the group is expecting to see more of are young men, who are both the primary audience for sports betting and some of those most at risk for developing gambling addictions.

In response, Kalish said DraftKings monitors for potential compulsive gambling behavior and allows users of its app to set limits on how much they can bet and how much time they spend gambling.

In 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled that banning sports betting was unconstitutional.

However, representatives of professional athletes asked officials in Massachusetts to toughen laws aimed at protecting players and their families from being threatened by gamblers.