SPRINGFIELD — Mayor Domenic Sarno made history at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning when the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Kansas City Chiefs on February 12 in Super Bowl 57 in Glendale, Arizona. rice field.
The Mayor of Springfield’s bet at MGM Springfield’s BetMGM Sportsbook & Lounge was the first legal face-to-face retail sports bet in the state.
“Big win for Springfield. Big win for MGM Springfield. Big win for the state of Massachusetts,” said Sarno, holding up a ticket at the launch event at Springfield Casino.
At the moment leading up to the historic moment, crowds gathered to count down to 10am on the 45-foot LED viewing wall. The lounge is also home to his four betting windows, and there are 18 sports betting kiosks throughout MGM Springfield.
There are dozens of sports where in-person betting is allowed, including soccer, baseball, hockey, sailing, boxing and bowling. Bets on Massachusetts colleges are prohibited unless the team is in a tournament with at least he three other participants.
Sarno called the date a “hat trick” in connection with the start of legalized sports betting at the state’s three casinos. Besides MGM Springfield, launch events were held at Plainville’s Plainridge Park Casino’s Barstool Sportsbook and Everett’s Encore Boston at Winbet in He Harbor.
The start of sports betting in Massachusetts comes just six months after former Gov. Charlie Baker signed the sports betting bill into law in August, making Massachusetts the 33rd state to legalize sports betting. said Massachusetts Gambling Commission Chairman Cathy Judstein. .
“We set our sights on this target deadline and we met it,” said Judstein.
Sano celebrates with state senators Adam Gomez, D-Springfield, congressmen Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, and Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Burke, who won five Norris Trophies with the Boston Bruins and Stanley participated in the launch of In 2001 he played against Colorado for the Avalanche Cup.
In his second bet in the state, Burke bet $100 on the Bruins, who are currently ranked third in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins will face the Leafs in Toronto on Wednesday.
“Do you think anyone knows who I’m betting on?” Burke said.
If he wins, Bourque will take home $450 to donate to the Bourque Family Foundation. The nonprofit was founded in his 2017 by Burke, his wife Christiane, his daughter Melissa, and sons Christopher and Ryan. Each year, the foundation hosts a number of fundraising events, including his 7.7k in honor of the retired Bruins number. to various charities.
Gomez, who introduced legislation to authorize and regulate sports betting, said he was betting on the Chiefs. He also said that if he wins, he plans to donate to charity.
“It is a humbling experience to see the newly passed laws taking effect in my own city today. BetMGM will strengthen our local and statewide economy,” he said. . “It is a momentous occasion that some of the first bets in sports betting take place in Springfield today.”
Like the mayor of Sarno, Gonzalez said he was betting on the Eagles. Aside from his sports betting, Gonzalez was gambling in Springfield casinos to bring in income for the state.
He said the state collected $720 million in taxes in the first year sports betting was legalized in New York.
“Springfield is a small metropolis and we know it doesn’t have much, but I can assure you that it will not only bring revenue to MGM, but more jobs and opportunities,” Gonzalez said. I’m here.
Legislators estimate that sports betting could generate about $60 million in annual state revenue once both in-person and mobile betting become fully operational. We also estimate that there will be approximately $70 million in license fees that must be renewed every five years.
The state tax rate on sports betting is 15% for face-to-face betting.
According to BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt, the integration with MGM Rewards will allow BetMGM users to game at more than 20 MGM Resort destinations, including MGM Springfield, Atlantic City’s Borgata, Las Vegas’ Bellagio, ARIA and MGM Grand. You can redeem your play.
“Wherever players are, they can enjoy the BetMGM sportsbook experience together,” said Greenblatt. “And very soon they will be able to carry his BetMGM from any mobile his device anywhere in Massachusetts. This is a launch we are very much looking forward to.”
The state tax rate for online sports betting is 20%. The launch of mobile/online sports betting is he scheduled for March, though the exact date has not been announced.
Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.
