Massachusetts Sports Wagering Set To Begin This Month

BOSTON — Massachusetts residents will likely be able to walk into one of the state's three casinos and legally wager on a professional or college team sporting event for the first time by the end of this month.

The state Gaming Commission has set Jan. 31 as the first day the public will be allowed into the Boston Harbor Encore Casino in Everett, MGM Springfield Casino in Springfield and the Plainridge Park Casino in Plainridge to wager on professional sports. That date is one day after a "soft opening" for invited casino guests to wager on Jan. 30 — designed to make sure all operations are running without incident and for state inspections.

"This meets the goal set in October to launch retail sports wagering in late January," the MGC said in a statement.

The MGC said during its Dec. 29 meeting that the target to launch mobile sports in the state remains on track for mid-March. The MGC had said at earlier meetings that the date was subject to change based on vetting the potentially large number of companies that might apply for one of the state's seven mobile licenses, but as of Tuesday, there had been only six — including familiar sports online fantasy sites DraftKings and FanDuel.

MGC Director, Investigations and Enforcement Bureau Karen Wells said it was possible to have a "staggered" launch date with the in-person locations eligible to open before the Super Bowl because the three casinos applying had already passed through most MGC suitability evaluations to get their casino license in the first place.

The MGC is holding a public hearing and multiple public meetings this week regarding applications for Category 3 — or mobile/online — sports wagering operator licenses.

The schedule fulfills the delicate dance of the MGC to begin sports wagering in a timely manner that takes into account the major sporting events of the winter — while also being committed to a fair, transparent and responsible process of allowing the temporary licenses required to offer sports gambling.

Jan. 31 is two days after the schedule for the AFC and NFC Championship football games and five days prior to the Super Bowl.

The mid-March goal was based, in part, on the expected popularity of betting on the NCAA men's and women's college basketball tournaments.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)