Massachusetts regulators in first license award as WynnBet given green light
Bay State panel unanimously approves first tethered sportsbook license after seven-hour meeting
Officials from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) have approved the state’s first online sports betting license, awarding it to WynnBet and its land-based partner Encore Boston Harbor.
The approval came after a seven-hour-long meeting of the five-strong commissioner panel, which led to a unanimous vote to greenlight the category 3 (tethered sportsbook) license.
Wynn’s land-based partner, Encore Boston Harbor, was awarded its category 1 (land-based sportsbook) permit in November, becoming the only operator to receive the award despite 15 applications being submitted from other interested parties.
However, conditions were put in place as part of the license award, centering on the state’s diversity-led agenda.
These include a requirement for WynnBet to provide the MGC with information on the company’s so-called “vendor diversity” statistics, as well as establishing goals in respect of diversity spend in advance of the launch of sports betting in the state.
Speaking at the meeting, MGC commissioner Jordan Maynard expressed concern over the lack of information provided on WynnBet’s diversity hiring and goals, something which is a condition under Massachusetts’ gaming law.
“We’ve been spoiled by looking at other applications, where we’ve seen (diversity) percentages. It’s not really that I want to look at every vendor, I want to see percentages,” Maynard said.
“The only way I can understand how many is if I know what the universe looks like, that’s how ratios work,” he added.
WynnBet is now free to offer its sportsbook platform to Bay State residents from March 2023, with retail sports betting available at Encore Boston Harbor from January.
Also in attendance at the meeting was the firm’s VP and general counsel Jennifer Roberts, who cited the award as a great boon for the firm, particularly given its history in the Bay State.
“Madam Chair and members of the commission, we’re honored by this outcome today and we look forward to being a collaborative partner with the Commission going forward,” Roberts said.