After reporting on the state of Hawaii introducing legislation for online poker yesterday, we know have found that Massachusetts are now working on online gaming legislation as well. New legislation was introduced by State Senator Bruce Tarr to see the land based casinos of the state given the ability to offer online casino gaming.
The bill, SD 618, is a shell proposal that would allow licensed casinos in Massachusetts to offer gaming operations online if the operations ‘do not include or reflect gaming mechanisms operated by the state lottery program of those simulating or resembling slot machines’. Land based operators would basically be able to offer online gaming including poker and table games.
Massachusetts currently has only one casino in operation, Penn National Gaming’s slot facility. Larger full service casinos are currently under construction for the state by Wynn and MGM Resorts. On top of this new legislation, the state is also considering online lottery ticket sales but with a separate bill.
In 2016, the state took a step towards online gaming with the creation of the Special Commission on Online Gaming, Fantasy Sports Gaming and Daily Fantasy Sports. This commission was created to study iGaming and how it would affect the state as well as how it is conducted in other states. The commission is supposed to provide their findings from the study sometime during the summer season.
Talk of an omnibus regulatory bill has been discussed in Massachusetts as well and is supported by Stephen Crosby, the chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Such a regulatory bill would cover many areas of gaming including daily fantasy sports and poker.
Massachusetts now joins a growing list of states interested in offering online gaming including California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington State and Hawaii. It will be interesting to see in the coming weeks and months if any other states show interest in the industry.
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