Senator Makes Massachusetts Sports Betting Admission

Senator John Keenan supported the legalization of Massachusetts sports betting back in 2022. He now regrets throwing his backing behind it.

Speaking at a Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, Senator Keenan lamented legalization of gambling in The Bay State without putting more safeguards in place for the consumer. He went as far as saying he “deeply regrets” his vote to bring legal sports betting to Massachusetts.

Here are his full comments, courtesy of Legal Sports Report’s Matthew Waters:

“When I voted to legalize sports betting I never thought it would become what it is. We unleashed an industry that now promotes betting on anything and everything imaginable and unimaginable all over the world, 24 hours a day, every single day. I deeply regret my vote and I want to publicly apologize to those who have lost the opportunity to sit and watch a game just for the enjoyment of the game. [And] I want to apologize to those who find themselves in the dark spaces of betting addiction and to those working through recovery, and to their families and friends. I want to apologize to those who have lost loved ones to suicide because of gambling issues.”

These heavy-handed sentiments speak to the increased emphasis on the downsides to legal sports betting in the United States. While the industry is still relatively young, it is also maturing. The Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act back in 2018. Over the past seven-plus years, states now have a ton of data on how sports betting is impacting the larger population.

Another Massachusetts Sports Betting Bill is on the Table

Senator Keenan is among those at the forefront of this emphasis. He has repeatedly pushed for more stringent regulation in Massachusetts sports betting. His most recent comments suggest that he’s frustrated, exasperated, even saddened that reform has not come sooner. And we have to ask: Will reform come at all?

Keenan’s Massachusetts sports betting comments come in tandem with the introduction of another bill he is sponsoring. He previously championed what became known as the Better Health Act. That initiative sought to impose financial background checks conducted by sportsbooks, as well as individual gambling limits, among other things.

The latest proposal is called S 302. It follows much of the same blueprint. The changes it seeks are, once again, pretty significant. They include all of the following:

Bringing an end to betting advertisements during televised sports events.
Banning prop bets and in-play bets.
The institution of betting limits no more than $1,000 per day and $10,000 per month, unless an operator has conducted an affordability study to determine that daily or monthly wagering amounts do not exceed 15 percent of that bettor’s bank account.
A full ban on any sportsbook employee, affiliate or subcontractor to earn compensation from bets or deposits.
Raising the tax paid by Massachusetts sportsbooks to 51 percent, which is up from 20 percent

This agenda is ambitious relative to the rest of the industry. Keenan and its sponsors are bound to get a ton of push-back from operators on it.

Are Any of Keenan’s Requests Realistic

Though there are merits to every bullet point in Keenan’s Massachusetts sports betting bill, it’s tough to imagine any of them coming to fruition. In fact, the tax-rate increase may be his most realistic action item.

Mind you, we would not expect the Massachusetts sports betting tax to nearly triple. The 50-percent benchmark is rare. While sports betting sites in New York pay that rate, The Empire State currently ranks as the most lucrative market in the country. That gives it a special kind of leverage.

Even though the Massachusetts sports betting market is closer to flagship than not, it may not be able to demand the same. We anticipated many of Keenan’s fellow legislators opposing the item out of pure reluctance to anger sportsbooks.

Massachusetts has already earned nearly $100 million off sportsbook taxes this year alone. Plenty of policymakers will not want to risk isolating the companies responsible for paying it. That is the leverage held by sportsbooks. The state is now used to their revenue stream. They can apply some pressure.

Sports Betting Reform Nevertheless Feels Inevitable

For the time being, Senator Keenan’s bill feels like it is ahead of its time. More states are seeking legal sports betting reform, but that push is focused mainly on tighter regulation. That tends to focus on illegal gambling activity, or on weeding out alternative means of wagering such as daily fantasy sports and prediction markets.

Still, the problem gambling upticks across the country speaks for themselves. The same goes for various pieces of legislation, like Keenan’s, whether they are successful or not. Policymakers clearly view sports betting advertisements and marketing as a problem above all else. That is one of the issues they can consider a contributing factor to everything else.

Of course, as long as legal Massachusetts sports betting is around, there will be downsides. Not everyone uses it as a form of entertainment. It will be abused. There will be problems. Putting more pressure on sportsbooks to operate while remedying as many of those issues as possible is the right move. So, too, is making sports gambling education a part of mainstream curriculums—in schools and youth sports. It should be treated no differently as alcohol: it has its place in a recreational setting, but is problematic when abused.

Alas, the United States at large doesn’t appear to be on the verge of embracing this vantage point. The financial upside for individual markets is too great. Rest assured, though, Keenan is not the first legislator to express regret for how his state legalized wagering. And he most certainly will not be the last.

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