“I felt like with MGM, that I needed to see in its entirety, but for this one, I don’t need the application in front of me, but I’d like the questions answered,” said Commissioner Nakisha Skinner.Ĭommissioners moved forward after their legal counsel, Todd Grossman, said, “I don’t think there are any ‘right’ lines. In the end, the MGC decided that its questions about that relationship were more narrow in scope than the questions it had for MGM the previous day and chose to move forward. Thursday’s meeting went more than six hours, as commissioners had procedural questions as well as questions relating to kiosks, responsible gaming, and the relationship between Encore Boston Harbor and WynnBET, which will operate the retail and digital sportsbooks. In-person sports betting is set to launch in “late January” in Massachusetts, and digital is set for “early March.” Kiosks will be … everywhere MGM also has two digital platforms available, but has not announced a partner for the second one. It will also review digital applications from Caesars Sportsbook, which has a deal in place to take Encore Boston Harbor’s second skin, and Fanatics Sportsbook, which will operate under Plainridge Park’s second skin. The commission reviewed Category 1 (retail) applications for the state’s three casinos this week, with plans to review Category 3 (digital) applications next week. On Wednesday, the commission deferred issuing a license to MGM Springfield because it said the company’s application was too closely tied to the BetMGM digital application, which has not yet been reviewed.

Commissioners pointed to a New York Times story about Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy - a native of Massachusetts - saying they are concerned that Portnoy and Barstool don’t meet the commission’s high integrity standards. On Tuesday, the MGC opted to delay a decision on licensing Plainridge Park due to questions surrounding the relationship between owner PENN Entertainment and Barstool Sportsbook, which will operate Plainridge Park’s retail location and digital platform. The decision came after the MGC chose to defer decisions on licenses for PENN Entertainment’s Plainridge Park and MGM Springfield. Encore Boston Harbor became the first Massachusetts property to get a license for a brick-and-mortar sportsbook when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission unanimously voted Thursday to award one to it.

Encore casino application