Beacon Hill lawmakers have plenty on their plates these days, from spending plans large and small, to literacy reform and an overhaul of the state’s cannabis oversight agency, among other bills.
Other industry groups are lobbying to make sure their item doesn’t slip off the potential agenda with still months to go in the formal session. The Sports Betting Alliance, which includes DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM, is among them, and it’s touting a new poll to bolster efforts to legalize online casino gambling.
Online casino gambling, also known as iGaming, is opposed by unions who say its approval may lead to job losses, and hurt revenue at brick-and-mortar casinos. A representative from Encore Boston, which is run by Wynn Resorts, said 1,800 jobs at the Everett casino would be endangered and called legalization a “bad bet.”
But Massachusetts voters disagree, according to a poll conducted for the Sports Betting Alliance. Fifty-nine percent back legalization and regulation of iGaming. “Voters believe the decision to gamble or not should be left up to adults themselves and recognize that a legal, regulated system offers more safeguards and accountability than the unregulated market,” pollster Beacon Research wrote in a memo.
MassBudget Reference:
The state takes in $1.5 billion in taxes from the Lottery, casinos and sports betting, which according to the left-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center is the state’s fourth largest source of revenue.
