Massachusetts Online Casinos, Sportsbooks, & Gambling Laws

Top Gambling Sites Serving Massachusetts

• Bovada  – Best MA Gambling Site Overall
• DuckyLuck Casino  – Best Real Money Online Casino for Massachusetts
• BetUS  – Best Massachusetts Sports Betting Site
• Ignition Casino  – Best Poker Site for MA
• Las Atlantis Casino  – Best Bonus Package for Massachusettsans
• Cafe Casino  – Best Massachusetts Fast Payout Casino
• Drake Casino  – Best MA Table Game Site
• TrustDice  – Best Cryptocurrency Site for MA

Massachusetts Gambling Sites Compared

Our Selection Criteria

Bonuses

Entertainment

Safety

Transactions

Before we add an online gaming site to our recommendations for Massachusetts gamblers, we take a close look at that site. Over the years, we’ve developed a complete set of criteria that objectively ranks a gambling site on a variety of important features. Whether the site is a casino, a poker room, a sportsbook, or some combination of the three, we have a list of expectations the site needs to meet or exceed before we add them to our short list of recommended sites.

We call this our B.E.S.T. system, and it serves to remind us (and our readers) that to survive on the internet, a gambling operation must be among the best at what it does. Here’s how we rank Massachusetts gambling sites:

• Bonuses — Gambling sites don’t have celebrity showrooms or room comps to entice patrons. Instead, they use deposit bonuses, and the most popular is the Welcome Bonus. We examine these bonuses carefully, comparing them to others in the industry. We measure the multiplier, the top limit, and the rollover (some call it playthrough) that must take place before a bonus is fully “earned.” And we do the same vetting for any other promotions a site offers.
• Entertainment Features — While the entertainment factor of anything is always in the eye of the beholder, there are plenty of objective criteria we can use to determine the probable entertainment value of a gambling site. We examine sportsbooks for features like live betting, bet boosters, and bet builders. We inspect each site’s user interface for simplicity and functionality. We check to ensure the site plays just as well and glitch-free on mobile as it does on the PC. We even grade the streaming quality of live dealer tables, as well as the affability and professionalism of the dealers.
• Safety and Security — The security of your personal and financial data is imperative, which is why this our most heavily-weighted score. Is the site using Transport Layer Security (TLS) for data encryption? Does the site have a clearly written and substantive privacy policy? When we recommend a gambling site, we ensure each site adheres to high standards of data security.
• Transactions — We take a very close look at each site’s financial transactions. Does the site place maximum limits on daily, weekly, or monthly withdrawals? Does the site charge a fee for any withdrawal methods? How fact is each method of withdrawal processed? Does the site adhere to banking-level encryption in both its deposit and withdrawal methods? Satisfactory answers to all of these questions must be forthcoming before we recommend a site to Massachusetts gamblers.

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Is Gambling Legal in Massachusetts?

There are many forms of legalized gambling in Massachusetts. Pari-mutuel racing is acceptable, as is charitable gaming like bingo and raffles, not to mention the state lottery.

Legalized gambling in Massachusetts started in 1935 under Massachusetts General Laws, Part I, Title XIX, Chapter 128C(1). Pari-mutuel horse and dog racing were the early options. In 2008, voters banned greyhound racing(2) in the state, and the sport officially ended in Massachusetts in 2009. Horse racing continues today and is regulated by the Massachusetts Division of Racing.

The Massachusetts Lottery was created in 1971. The first tickets sold the following year. Charitable gaming became legal the same year. Qualifying non-profits may host bingo and beano games, raffles, poker tournaments, and casino nights.

Brick-and-mortar casinos became legal in 2012. This created casinos at Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino, all of which are regulated by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. All forms of casino games are available, including slots, video poker, live poker, baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette, and poker pit tables.

All forms of live poker are legal, including hold’em, stud, and Omaha. Cash games and tournaments are spread. Fair home poker games and other social events are permitted if the house does not have an advantage, such as a rake. Daily fantasy sports contests were legalized in 2016.

Three forms of online gambling are regulated in Massachusetts. Those are pari-mutuel horseracing, sports betting, and daily fantasy sports. Additionally, there are also a number of offshore gambling sites that accept Bay Staters.

Approved in 2022, Massachusetts online sports betting is regulated by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission; it’s the latest form of legalized gambling in the state. All major pro sports are on the board at Massachusetts sportsbooks. However, in-state college sports betting is not allowed unless it involves a tournament of four or more teams. Offshore sportsbooks do not have this restriction.

Land-Based Gambling Options in Massachusetts

Massachusetts law permits three full-service resort casinos and one slot parlor. Of these, two casinos and the slot parlor are open.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has fought for years for the right to build the First Light Resort & Casino on reservation lands south of Boston, but the project continues to be met with delays.

Casinos

Poker Rooms

There are two poker rooms in Massachusetts, both of which operate 24 hours a day and offer cash games. Encore Boston Harbor is the only poker room with tournaments, offering three weekly. Charity poker tournaments are also permitted at qualifying nonprofits.

Sports Betting

There are eight online sportsbooks in Massachusetts, including retail. All three casinos have retail sportsbooks. All typical sports bets are on the board, except in-state colleges during regular season games, which are restricted.

Horse Racing

Plainridge Park is the last surviving horse racing track in Massachusetts. There are also mobile betting apps available for horse racing.

Daily Fantasy Sports

The Massachusetts Attorney-General proposed regulations governing daily fantasy sports contests, but those rules were not added to state law until 2016. Today, player-to-player and house-banked DFS games operate in the state.

Lottery

The Massachusetts Lottery has been in operation for more than 50 years. It’s governed by a five-member Commission comprised of the state treasurer as chairperson, the secretary of public safety, the state comptroller, and two gubernatorial appointees. It offers instant games, lotto drawings, pull tabs, and keno.

Most lotto games are available for online purchase in three-month subscriptions. Additionally, more than 7,500 retailers throughout the state sell lottery tickets, which—statistically speaking—means no Bay Stater is more than 1.4 miles from a lottery ticket.

Bingo

Registered charities may offer bingo under one-day licenses. Minors are permitted with a parent or guardian. Raffles, casino nights, and poker tournaments are also permitted.

Massachusetts Gambling History Timeline

Future of Gambling in Massachusetts

It seems likely that legalized gambling in Massachusetts is maxed out. There appears to be no legislative appetite to expand it beyond retail casinos and online sportsbooks. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has demonstrated(19) repeatedly that it is unhappy with many aspects of online sportsbooks, including responsible gambling and advertising policies.

Considering the caution shown toward online sports betting, it seems like a fair prediction that regulated poker and casino sites are not on the radar in Massachusetts. That may change as online casino games remain popular in Connecticut and launch in Rhode Island.

For now, Massachusetts residents and visitors in cities like Boston, Worcester, and Springfield can visit casinos for slots, poker, and table games.

Gambling Responsibly

A recent study shows that up to 2% of Massachusetts adults may have a gambling problem, which means than more than 110,000 Bay Staters may be victims of problem gambling.

To counter this, Massachusetts has created the Office of Problem Gambling to provide residents with information and resources to help residents overcome the addiction.

• Office of Problem Gambling Hotline: (800) 327-5050
• Office of Problem Gambling: Live Chat
• Gamblers Anonymous Massachusetts Meetings

Legal Sources

1. Massachusetts General Laws, Part I, Title XIX, Chapter 128C
2. Greyhound Protection Act passed
3. Massachusetts Division of Racing
4. Massachusetts Lottery created
5. General Laws c.23K
6. Massachusetts Gaming Commission
7. DFS approved
8. Regulation of sports betting
9. DFS regulations added to sports betting regulations
10. Mobile and retail sports betting approved
11. Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe signs gaming compact with Massachusetts
12. Expanded Gaming Act signed into law
13. Foxboro Raceway closes
14. Massachusetts Lottery History
15. Massachusetts Lottery Charitable Gaming Division
16. Foxboro Raceway History – Horseracing-tracks.com
17. Wonderland Greyhound Park
18. Voters approve pari-mutuel horse and dog racing
19. Gaming Commission disfavor

Gambling Online in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has online casinos available that complement The Bay State’s expansive in-person gambling options. This guide revealed the best gambling sites for MA players, with Bovada earning the label of #1 overall gambling site in the state.

It’s easy to see why, as Bovada offers competitive bonuses, a high-end poker room, a lively casino, and one of the most reputable sportsbooks in the US. There are other options if you have specific criteria you’re searching for, as BetUS ranks as the best Massachusetts sports betting site, DcukyLuck is the state’s best online casino, and Las Atlantis is your most lucrative option for bonuses.

Beyond pointing you to the best Massachusetts online casinos and sportsbooks, this guide also detailed Massachusetts gambling laws, and the state’s gambling history. Now that you’re equipped with Massachusetts online gambling knowledge and specific options available to you, all you have to do is choose where to bet!

Kevin Roberts

Kevin Roberts, previously published under the pseudonym Noah Davis, is one of the more diverse writers at GamblingSites.com. Like many of his colleagues, he’s a huge fan of both football and basketball. But he also writes about box office records, TV show prop bets, DFS, and all kinds of other subjects.

When it comes to the NFL, Kevin’s favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. He enjoys cheering them on with his wife and daughter.

More Posts by Kevin

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