Gaming regulators held fiery discussions Thursday and at one point jokingly suggested a beer break was necessary to digest an eight-hour meeting where little agreement was found on a proposed timeline for the launch of online sports betting a document that was described as the most aggressive approach.
And the Massachusetts Gaming Commission also pushed off votes on the launch of retail sports betting and whether to stagger the start of online versus in-person wagering. That came after hours of fierce discussion over a proposed timeline that suggested starting online betting in February 2023 and casino-based retail in January 2023.
The commission recessed Thursday just after 6 p.m. with plans to continue the meeting at noon Friday. Minutes before the meeting ended, Commissioner Eileen OBrien made a motion to vote on approving staggering retail versus online launch dates but nobody seconded it.
I am very concerned about the rate of our decision-making, Commission Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said as the group debated when to meet next. I am very concerned about our ability to move forward.Read more: Sports betting companies debate the use of temporary licenses in Mass.
Commission Executive Director Karen Wells repeatedly stressed the timeline made many assumptions about commission decisions and regulators needed to consider a mound of caveats, including the number of digital betting applicants, whether emergency powers were used to push forward regulations, and when a final license application is approved.
This is not a definitive timeline, this is a tool for discussion, Wells said. This is the most aggressive timeline, so there are certain assumptions that we would need to make in this timeline.
A lengthy discussion did ensue with sparks flying between commissioners at several points. Both Commissioners OBrien and Nakisha Skinner pushed back on a February 2023 launch, arguing it was an aggressive date that came with many risks.
As the meeting neared the seventh hour, both Judd-Stein and Brad Hill pushed their colleagues to at least take one vote agreeing to stagger the start dates of online versus retail betting, with Hill arguing for another vote on a firm retail launch date.
I need to take a vote today that category one, unless something comes before us that is just so outrageous it cant get done, that were going to be able to place a bet on the Superbowl, Hill said. I need two votes today. I would like to do two votes, one on the staggered launch, two, setting up a timeline for category one to be able to accept bets.Read more: Sports betting regulators are worried about a false start for the new industry
The states sports wagering law sets up three categories of betting operators. Category one covers the states already licensed casinos, category two is for the states racetracks and simulcasting facilities, and category three covers online operators.
Just after the proposed timeline was introduced, Skinner questioned why such an aggressive timeline was being advanced.
If this compressed timeline makes sense, and its responsible, Im all for it, Skinner said. I just need to understand the rationale for why there is being this compressed timeline advanced as opposed to a reasonable timeline by which the team can get this done.
Wells said the document commissioners were reviewing was a starting point and there is no way we could do this any earlier.
There are assumptions in here, for example, the 30-day application period, the commission may or may not agree with that, Wells said. So that would be the starting point and then you may or may not want to change different time periods within the structure.Read more: Enjoy playing video games? You may soon be able to bet on competitive matches in Massachusetts under new sports betting law
But Maynard and Hill both pushed for launch dates within eight months for online betting. Hill said he fully intended when the Legislature passed a bill legalizing sports betting that we would be able a place bet for the Super Bowl.
Im OK with a category one retail launch for the Superbowl, if possible, and then working very hard and very aggressively, and I will use that word aggressively to get category three up and running. And Im going to put out an event for the NCAAs, the former state legislator said.
Maynard said he looked at the proposed timeline as one that is patron-centered.
I will say that if I were sitting down with this timeline, it would be more quote aggressive, or as I would call it patron centered. So even more so than Super Bowl, he said.Read more: Sports betting grew without it being legal in Massachusetts; bettors primarily young, educated males
OBrien said she agrees commissioners should keep patrons in mind, but that regulators have a dual responsibility to maximize benefits and minimize harms.
I am concerned about, and I will say aggressive because I think this is an aggressive timeline, more specifically, the conversation weve just been having about suitability, it appears to be a decision that was made for purposes of this timeline without a fulsome five-person commissioner conversation, she said.
MGC Chief Financial Officer Derek Lennon said staff can meet the deadlines, assuming commissioners want to take on the associated risks.
I think its unfair to say staff cant meet this timeline, we can meet it. Its just are you willing to accept the risks weve put out? he said.
Even before dates were presented, commissioners aired frustrations about the pace of voting on regulations and the use of emergency powers to push them forward.
At one point earlier in the day, Skinner said she was having trouble with the agenda of the meeting, something she said seems to be driven by a timeline, right, launch date that has been predetermined by some.
Im having trouble trying to make everything that we have to come before us fit within that arbitrary timeline, she said. Now, I dont know what that timeline is. Ive heard different dates. But just the entire discussion for today seems a little troubling to me because I think that that is not the way we should be operating.Read more: Not too fast: Sports betting regulators say they are going to take the necessary time to put into place an industry that has integrity
Judd-Stein quickly jumped in to say a timeline has not been premeditated and the order of Thursdays agenda was actually purposeful.
There has not been any predetermined decision, Judd-Stein said. I can absolutely state that todays discussion is for each of you to put forth your concerns, and state what you would like to see. In terms of a timeline, absolutely, that word is on todays agenda for a reason. Its just part of the reality of doing business. If we decide we dont want to have a deadline or timeline, thats on the table today.
OBrien said she agreed with Skinner, though she acknowledged determining agendas for meetings is an art not a science.
But so many of these things are so intricately intertwined. I am struggling with votes today for that reason, she said. I second what [Skinner] says in terms of anticipation and frustration and I acknowledge what youre saying about sequence but for me, a lot of this is I need to get through the ag
