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Legislators in Boston approved the betting bill early Monday morning, Aug. 1, hours after the midnight deadline. Speaker of the state House Ron Mariano tweeted that his team and Senate leadership had struck a deal after nearly a year of arguments.
The House passed the bill by a vote of 151-2 while the Senate passed it 36-4, according to NBC10's Kirsten Galvin. Representative Jerry Parisella spoke with Galvin about the importance of legalizing sports betting to help bring back revenue into the Commonwealth.
Gov. Charlie Baker will have 10 days to sign it, CBS Boston reported, but that seems more of a formality as he asked state leaders to legalize the practice earlier this year.
Massachusetts legalizing sports gambling seemed inevitable despite the heated back and forth between state leaders. That's because sports fans have left the state to place bets in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, or Connecticut, where it's legal. That's millions of dollars in state tax revenue lost.
Lawmakers were stuck on allowing bets on college sports. The compromise they struck will let Massachusetts residents put money on collegiate teams outside of the state or on in-state schools during NCAA tournaments, Boston.com reported.
The deal also allows advertising for sports books and sets a state tax rate of 20 percent for online bets and 15 percent for retail wagers, Boston Globe reporter Samantha Gross said. The bill also blocks gamblers from using a credit card to fund their bets, but debit cards are OK, she reported.
It's unclear when sports fans will be able to place their first legal bet in the state. There is still work left to do once Baker signs the bill, but some state leaders believe it will be sooner than people expect.
Gross said Sen. Michael Rodrigues he's "hopeful" sports books will be open in time for the NFL season on Sept. 8.
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