Sports gambling products from the likes of MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts started taking sports bets in the Bay State on Tuesday.
The sportsbook at MGM Springfield “is a phenomenal sports betting hub designed for New England’s passionate sports fans,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “Today is a monumental step.”
Retail sportsbooks opened at MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor, and betting is also available through online mobile gambling products.
The state’s first sports wager was placed at the BetMGM Sportsbook & Lounge by Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, along with Boston hockey legend Ray Bourque.
“Yet another first for our city of Springfield (the City of Firsts) and for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” Mayor Sarno said in a statement. “This has been a long time coming and brings yet another chapter of innovation to enhance the operations and development at MGM Springfield.”
“As a strong proponent of MGM Springfield, I am honored to join with MGM Springfield President Chris Kelley, BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt, MGM Resorts VP Chris Gumiela, and Bruins Legend and Hall of Famer Ray Bourque to make the first sports wager in the state.”
A pair of state lawmakers also praised the launch of sports gambling in the Bay State.
State Senator Adam Gomez, a Democrat from Springfield, said he was “proud to sponsor legislation last session that sought to legalize sports wagering in the Commonwealth.”
“To see that newly passed law in action today in my very own city is a humbling experience,” he added.
State Representative Carlos Gonzalez said that sports betting will generate $20-$30 million in tax revenue each year for Massachusetts.
Sports betting is now legal in 33 states and Washington D.C., according to the American Gaming Association, the commercial casino industry’s top lobbying group.
The only state in the Northeast without legal sports betting is Vermont. Maine legalized sports betting, but sportsbooks haven’t opened yet.
More than $190 billion in sports bets have been taken nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal ban in 2018.
