Massachusetts Lawmakers Approve Bill To Legalize Sports Gambling On Professional And College Sports

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Hey, Massholes, your state's lawmakers have finally come to their senses to make sports gambling legal.

Democrats of the House and Senate reached an agreement Monday morning on a bill to legalize betting on both professional and college sports. Speaker Ron Mariano tweeted about the news just after 5:00 AM ET.

"I am proud to announce that the Sports Betting Conference Committee has reached an agreement on legislation that will legalize wagering on professional and collegiate sports in Massachusetts, bringing the immense economic benefits of a legal sports betting industry to MA," Mariano wrote.

Lawmakers did explain that within the proposed bill, betting would be allowed on out-of-state colleges and universities, but not those in Massachusetts. They did hint that if a college basketball team were to make it to March Madness, an exception may be made.

The waiting game isn't completely over just yet, however.

Now, the bill goes to Governor Charlie Baker who has 10 days to either approve or reject it. Folks in Massachusetts shouldn't be too worried about Baker rejecting the bill, however, as he was the one who proposed a sports betting bill for the state in 2019.

Massachusetts is late to the legalized sports gambling game as over 30 states have legalized sports wagering in recent years.

Lawmakers did not state when betting could start in Massachusetts, though Mariano noted that casinos are prepared to open now but must await formal regulations.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.