Hans Gruber needed a Christmas miracle.
The FBI delivered. (“Die Hard” fans get this.)
For bettors in Bay State, their holiday miracle came courtesy of another nefarious three-letter bureaucracy: the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, or MGC.
Thursday, the MGC announced legal sports betting will begin in Massachusetts on January 31, 2023.
Illegal sports betting began in Massachusetts on January 31, 1623.
Or thereabouts.
In just 39 days, sports books inside Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville can take legal bets on nearly all things sports.
Those over 21 will be able to legally wager on the Super Bowl in Massachusetts. There will be a “soft launch” on January 30 to make sure each site is ready. The MGC will begin testing kiosks and other betting machinery on January 16.
Some familiar names will be operating the books. WynnBET in Everett. BetMGM in Springfield and Barstool Sports in Plainville.
The Celtics and Bruins play on Feb. 1. There will be legal betting on the Beanpot. While the law in Massachusetts prohibits wagering on colleges in the state, there is an exemption for state teams participating in tournaments of four teams or more.
Encore is a go on Day 1.
“We will be ready for wagering on the January 31st launch,” Encore said in a statement.
The resort plans to have more than 100 betting kiosks located in 10 different areas, plus betting windows inside the WynnBET Sportsbook.
The Commonwealth has been home to sports betting for as long as there has been sports and betting. For decades, bets have been placed with local bookies often connected to organized crime. The internet brought online betting with foreign entities that were neither legal, regulated, nor taxed in the United States.
Since the Supreme Court cleared the way for nationwide sports betting in 2018, millions in handles and potential state tax revenue flowed out of Massachusetts across state lines into New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.
Much of that will be curtailed starting in 2023.
The big money is in mobile betting. The MGC has yet to set a firm date for it to begin. The current timetable calls a start in “early March,” ahead of the NCAA Tournament. That tips on March 14.
Thursday’s announcement capped a busy month for the MGC. The Commission approved permanent sports betting at MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor. Plainridge Park got the green light for a temporary license after two days of contentious hearings. Three mobile operators tied to the casinos – WynnBET, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook — were given the go-ahead, as well.
The MGC squawked over PPC’s parent company PENN Entertainment’s ties with Barstool Sports and Barstool founder David Portnoy. Its license carries two castigatory conditions, including a full “investigation” of Barstool Sports.
Whatever that means.
For now, bettors throughout Massachusetts can rejoice.
There will be an extra octave in their carols this weekend.
Betting is on its way.
Santa delivers again.
Bill Speros (@RealOBF) can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com.