Massachusetts Sports Betting on Pace to Clear $8B

Massachusetts sports betting has now reported its handle for the six months of 2025. And the returns are, as ever, staggering.

In fact, if the current pace holds, sports betting in Massachusetts is going to shatter last year’s volume.

For 2024, the betting handle in The Bay State cleared $7.4 billion. That represented a 48 percent increase over 2023, when they took in around $5 billion of total wagers.

Growth in 2025 was expected to slow. The rise between Year 1 and Year 2 is almost always significant. That debut trip around the sun sees a ton of sportsbook bonuses that knife into revenue and volume. Just as promotional wagers often cannot be taxed by the state, they do not count towards final tallies of any kind.

True to form, Massachusetts sports betting is not on the verge of clearing a 48 percent year-over-year increase. But it is on track to exceed $7.4 billion in total bets.

The Massachusetts Sports Betting Handle Projects to Clear $8 Billion

Through the first six months of 2025, The Bay State has taken in $4.03 billion of total wagers. If they replicate that amount over the latter half of the calendar, the Massachusetts sports betting handle will climb above $8 billion.

Just so we are clear: That is a bonkers amount. Only six states surpassed the $8 billion threshold in 2024. Below you can see the full list, along with their betting handles for 2024:

New York ($22.7 billion)
Illinois ($14.0 billion)
New Jersey ($12.8 billion)
Ohio ($8.8 billion)
Pennsylvania ($8.4 billion)
Arizona ($8 billion)

At the current pace, the Massachusetts sports betting handle has a chance to climb up that ladder. Last year, The Bay State finished eighth in total wagers placed. The Nevada sports betting market is the only other one not represented above, and it took in $7.9 billion—the seventh-highest mark in the country.

Right now, the Massachusetts sports betting market volume is outpacing Nevada and Arizona. Meanwhile, it is just behind Pennsylvania and New Jersey. That gives it an outside shot of establishing itself as a top-five market in the United States.

Granted, this is ambitious. And Massachusetts’ ceiling is probably capped there, in fifth, if it’s not. They have no hope of catching sports betting in New York, which is on pace to do over $28 billion in total wagers. Illinois, New Jersey and Ohio are not nearly as far away, but they are already a few billion bucks ahead of Massachusetts apiece.

These Massachusetts Projection May Actually be Too Conservative

Even though certain states may be out of reach, there’s a chance the Massachusetts sports betting market has another surge in them. All of these projections are based on the first half of the year. With NFL betting peaking during the second half of the year, the stage is set for The Bay State to do even more business through the end of December.

Look no further than last year for proof.

During the first six months of 2024, the Massachusetts sports betting handle checked in at around $3.5 billion. Over the next six months, it climbed to $3.9 billion. That is around a 10 percent difference

If the 2025 calendar follows a similar trend, The Bay State could take in $4.5 billion more by the end of December. This, in turn, would bring the total handle to $8.5 billion—the equivalent of what would have been the fifth-highest mark in 2024.

There is Still Room for the Massachusetts Market to Grow

Even with all of this in mind, it remains difficult to envision Massachusetts entrenching itself as a top-five market for sports betting in the United States. The margins feel too thin.

Yet, as Ryan Fowler writes for MassLive, we must all remember that the Massachusetts sports betting market has room to license more operators:

“When former Gov. Charlie Baker signed the Massachusetts Sports Wagering Act in late summer 2022, the long-term plan was to award up to 15 sports betting licenses. Retail sportsbooks went live on January 31, 2023, while online MA sportsbooks booted up on March 10, 2023. Seven of the 15 Massachusetts online sportsbook licenses have been claimed. DraftKings, FanDuel, ESPN BET, Fanatics, BetMGM, Caesars and Bally Bet have planted their proverbial flag in the Commonwealth. As expected, the financial windfall of legalized sports betting in Massachusetts comes with commas. The Bay State’s total sports betting handle – otherwise known as the total amount wagered by bettors – was $7.4 billion in 2024, generating nearly $131 million in tax revenue.”

State handles cannot be broken down on a per-operator basis. So, adding another sportsbook will not increase the Massachusetts sports betting handle by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Adding more options can nevertheless culminate in additional volume. Another two or three licensed Massachusetts sportsbooks could be the difference that ferries the market towards a $10 billion handle

Whether the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has an appetite for that type of expansion remains to be seen. They remain one of the more aggressive regulatory bodies. But if they find a pathway that’s suitable to them and the state’s policymakers, there’s room for even more market growth.

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs: