Interactive

US – Massachusetts wants online recommendations by June 2017

By Phil - 3 November 2016

The Massachusetts Legislature has launched a review into the legalisation and regulation of online gaming and daily fantasy sports (DFS).

The initiative is being led by Representative Joseph Wagner and Senator Eileen Donoghue who will analyse points such as ‘economic development, consumer protection, taxation, legal and regulatory structures, implications for existing gaming, burdens and benefits to the commonwealth and any other factors the commission deems relevant.’

The Special Commission on Online Gaming, Fantasy Sports Gaming, and Daily Fantasy Sports convened for the first time on October 31 in Boston. It plans to meet every four to six weeks to research and investigate internet gambling and DFS.

Mr. Wagner said: “It is one of those subject matters that seems to capture the attention of the public and public policymakers, and so we’re going to give it a pretty good look.”

Eileen Donoghue added: “There’s still some haziness around some of these issues. The public as a whole will benefit from, hopefully, some of the information that we’re able to deduce from the hearings.”

Steve Crosby, Chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, will also take part in the study, along with other contributors selected by officials.

Mr. Crosby has previously said: “If they could craft a bill, which incorporated regulatory priorities, fundamental values, whatever, that could be applied to all of these games, e-sports, daily fantasy sports, online poker, whatever all the new ones are, maybe then they could give it to some agency to implement, and the agency does the grunt work every six months making it apply to whatever the new technology is.”

The final report, which will include recommendations for legislation, will be submitted by July 31, 2017.

Further legislation is being prepared by Deborah Goldberg, the Treasurer and Receiver-General for Massachusetts, to allow the Massachusetts State lottery to offer its products online and via mobiles.

She explained: “Industry experts have stated that moving the lottery online will allow us to better monitor players who have a gambling problem,” Goldberg told the Boston meeting. “It can set spending limits, track who plays and how often and permit self-exclusion. Those capabilities are simply not available currently. Our lottery is the most successful in the country and the only source of unrestricted local aid to all 351 cities and towns in our state and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Massachusetts is about to see an explosion in land-based gaming with The Plainridge Park slots parlour now fully operational whilst the $950m MGM Springfield and the $2bn Wynn Boston Harbor are both under construction. Current legislation allows for three casinos and one slot hall in Massachusetts although a referendum on November 8 will ask the public to vote if another slot hall should be allowed in Revere.

Legislators in New York, Pennsylvania and California are also looking to approve online gaming in their states.