Massachusetts remains passive about sports betting

The state Legislature is taking a “wait and see” approach despite the Supreme Court allowed sports wagering to be regulated nationwide.

US.- Even as many neighbouring states are ready to – or at least considering – allow sports betting, Massachusetts won’t be legislating about the segment in the short term. Two months after the Supreme Court of the United States struck the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) down, the state is taking a “wait and see” approach and won’t take the matter to the General Court.

“Congress could always re-enter this space. That’s a big part of the story. States have this opportunity to pursue sports betting, but it’s not inconceivable that there’s another federal law on this at some point,” director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire School of Law Michael McCann told NESN.com.

Nonetheless, Rep. Joseph Wagner explained: “The approach here is to move this to the front burner, but to not move so quickly that we get it wrong. It won’t be taken up perhaps for formal action in this (session), but the work will begin immediately. The work has already begun.”

“We will get about the work of this quickly so that when we do convene for the 2019-2020 session we can be ready to go,” Rep. Wagner told MassLive and added: “That would be the hope and the potential game plan.”