Massachusetts to consider online gaming regulation in 2017

Massachusetts has become the latest state in the US to be linked with a potential move to legalise online gaming after State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg pledged to introduce legislation. According to the Sun Chronicle newspaper, Goldberg said the legislation would help to shore up the state’s lottery market, which is worth almost $1 billion (€943.7 million). However, Goldberg said her efforts would be separate to a state-backed study into online casinos, with the Special Commission on Online Gaming, Fantasy Sports Gaming and Daily Fantasy Sports having until August this year to make a recommendation as to how the state should approach slots and table games. “Between the impending arrival of [Massachusetts] casinos, increasing competition from daily fantasy sports, the overall shift to online versus point-of-sale transactions, and our ageing lottery demographic, we have no choice but to pursue new solutions,” Goldberg said in testimony at a legislative hearing last month. Goldberg added that while Massachusetts leads the country in terms of keno sales, the market for such games is “virtually saturated” and the state is “preparing for a period of stagnation”. Related article: Massachusetts to study potential on online gaming