Two days ahead of the deadline to act on the sports betting bill passed by the General Court, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker late Tuesday afternoon told hat he is still contemplating the compromise legislation sent to him Aug. 1. Baker, who as early as 2019 filed his own sports betting bill, has until Thursday to sign, amend, or veto the bill. No action would result in a “pocket veto.”
The legislature, which has been trying for five sessions to come to an agreement on wagering, finally found middle ground in the wee hours of Aug. 1 after the 2022 session was extended. The bill a conference committee settled on would set the tax rate at 20% for digital wagering and 15% for in-person betting, allow for up to 15 digital platforms, ban most betting on Massachusetts college sports teams and events, and require the use of official league data to settle Tier 2 bets.
Baker’s bills had a lower tax rate and gave more latitude to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission than the current bill does, but it also would have banned wagering on college sports and esports. Similar to the current legislation, Baker’s bills would have allowed for stand-alone digital platforms as well as calling for some to be tethered to existing casinos.
Baker told he supports the compromise on college wagering – the Senate wanted to ban betting on college sports while the House wanted to allow it – and that, given his track record of pushing the legislature to legalize sports betting, “This is certainly something that we support.”