The Massachusetts Gaming Commission Thursday held a lengthy meeting with stakeholders as it gears up to regulate the state’s new sports betting industry.
Representatives from the state’s three casinos and two simulcast racing facilities urged the Commission to set a firm launch date for sports betting so they can work backwards from that day on the calendar to hire the necessary staff and install the equipment to accept wagers.
A timeline for deciding on regulations and issuing licenses will be announced when the Commission meets on September 8th , said Chair Cathy Judd-Stein.
“They are looking to us, as a Commission, to give a date of readiness, so we’re all set so we can actually issue their license,” she said.
After the state legislature voted earlier this month to legalize sports betting following almost four years of debating the issue, the Commission moved quickly to tamp down expectations that wagering could start by the football season. There are more than 200 regulations that need to be written.
The roundtable Thursday included discussions about sports wagering operations at the venues, licensing procedures, responsible gaming, and advertising.
Last year, the MGM Springfield casino spent millions of dollars to put in a sports lounge with leather recliner chairs and a wall of video screens. MGM Vice President and legal counsel Gus Kim said converting it to a sportsbook would take about 90 days.
“In terms of actual infrastructure, physically speaking, MGM Springfield is ready and set to move as soon as we know what the regulatory framework is,” he said.
The state’s other resort casino, Encore Boston Harbor, also has a new sports bar and is scouting locations for sports betting kiosks including ballrooms and the parking garage, said Encore Senior Vice President Jacqui Krum.
“ It might be helpful for guests who want to just pull up, have short-term parking, come and place a wager, and depart to premises,” she said.
She said Encore estimates sports betting will create 75 new jobs with positions including cashiers, food and beverage, and security. The MGM official declined to say how many additional hires there might be.
Officials with the two simulcast racing facilities -- Suffolk Downs in Boston and Raynham Park in southeastern Massachusetts -- also said adding sports betting will create jobs. Steven Eichel, an attorney for Raynham, said the current staff of 200 could double.
“This is going to be a great thing for the local community,” he said. “We expect to hire pretty much entirely from the local community and that is what is so exciting about the opportunity.”
The new law authorizes the Gaming Commission to issue sports betting licenses to the casinos and simulcast facilities and to up to seven mobile betting platforms. A future roundtable is planned for the mobile operators.
No decision has been made by the Commission on whether in-person and mobile betting will begin simultaneously, or if the launch will be staggered.
