The big day has finally arrived! Legal online sports betting will go live in Massachusetts at 10 AM on March 10th. Ten books have fully passed the Massachusetts Gaming Commission approval process, and seven will open their windows on the 10th. They are Barstool, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel and WynnBET. Fanatics and Bally are fully licensed but will not begin taking bets until May, while Betway has delayed their launch into 2024. Online betting opens up at a terrific time in the sports year. NCAA basketball conference championship tournaments run hot and heavy this week. Selection Sunday takes place on March 12th and then March Madness kicks off on March 14th with the First Four followed by a long weekend of virtually round-the-clock college basketball. The Massachusetts Sportsbooks are offering generous welcome bonuses. New users at BetMGM Massachusetts Bonus Code can take advantage of a $1000 first bet offer. Sign-ups before March 10th can alternatively opt to receive $200 in bonus bets. Seven online books is a nice number. That is more than enough to generate competition that leads to more bonuses like odds boosts and specials but not so many as to produce the chaos that state officials feared. The bill legalizing sports betting provided for 15 licenses, divided into three categories. A loophole however seemed to allow for books to get temporary licenses and open up their windows, but then potentially have to shut down soon after as they sought to complete the full approval process. 42 entities showed initial interest and it was unclear if the process would sort out in time. It all turned out fine as no books came in through the temporary loophole. Physical sportsbooks opened their windows in late January and have run smoothly, save for erroneously allowing some wagers on in-state college sports. The categories in Massachusetts sports betting licensing work as follows.
Category 1
These are physical casinos. Each can then partner with up to two online sportsbooks which must in turn get Category 3 approval. Three casinos have launched sports betting; Encore Boston Harbor with WynnBet and Caesars, Plainridge Park Casino with Barstool and eventually Fanatics, and MGM Springfield with BetMGM.Category 2
These are race tracks that can then partner with one Category 3 approved online sportsbook. There are two tracks that qualify, but neither has opened as of yet. Raynham Park was affiliated with Bet365, but Bet365 has since withdrawn from the state, citing regulatory concerns. Suffolk Downs is the other track but has no affiliation or opening date as of yet.Category 3
Online sportsbooks get licensed here. Massachusetts allows up to seven to receive licenses without affiliating with physical sportsbooks. Bally’s, Betway, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Pointsbet have gotten untethered licenses thus far, but PointsBet has since nixed plans to open in the state, so presumably, that will free up one of these spots. Add it all up and Bay State residents will have the seven online books and three retail locations open on Friday and three more online books on schedule to open. Two untethered licenses remain free as do three affiliated licenses. Bay State residents aged 21 and over and physically in-state can look forward to making wagers on all their favorite teams and leagues, with the exception of in-state college teams in non-tournaments. That includes the following.NBA
The Celtics have hit a relatively rocky stretch lately, going just 11-9 in their last 20 and ceding the top record in the league to the Bucks. They still carry the shortest title odds in the league over at BetMGM.- Celtics +325
- Suns +400
- Bucks +450
- Nuggets +700
- Warriors +1100
- Sixers +1200
- Clippers +1500
NHL
The Bruins have run away from the rest of the league. Their only real regular season suspense is whether they set all-time NHL season wins and points records. The playoffs are another story of course as strange things often happen en route to hoisting the Stanley Cup. Boston does of course remain the Cup favorite over at BetMGM.- Bruins +400
- Avalanche +650
- Hurricanes +750
- Maple Leafs +900
- Devils +1100
- Rangers +1100
- Lightning +1200
- Stars +1400
- Golden Knights +1400
- Oilers +1400
NFL
The games do not start for half a year, but there is never much of an offseason from NFL betting. Futures markets are out already on everything from Super Bowl winner to MVP to even Coach of the Year. The markets at BetMGM do not expect a big year from the Patriots. Here are the betting odds to win the AFC East.- Bills +100
- Jets +250
- Dolphins +450
- Patriots +650