Bally Bet was scheduled to go live in the Bay State in late June but an issue that has yet to be resolved has delayed the launch until early July.
Let’s a closer look at the reasons behind the delay and how it may impact top-rated sportsbooks.
Failure to Launch
Bally Bet was scheduled to launch on June 27th, which was approximately 18 months after it received its license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC). It was not surprising that Bally Bet did not launch at the earliest opportunity (March 2023) in Massachusetts, as the company has a history of waiting for the dust to settle in a market before it enters it.
But this latest setback was unexpected, and although MGC Interim Chair Jordan Maynard stated that Bally Bet had “one outstanding issue” at the June 26th meeting, the precise nature of the issue was not revealed. Nevertheless, the committee is scheduled to meet again on July 1st and Bally Bet will likely launch shortly thereafter, assuming the issue has been resolved.
“Our commitment is strong here,” Brett Calapp, Bally’s chief operating officer, said. “We’re really excited to be in the state. This is a state with such a rich sports history.”
Bally Bet has been eager to serve the Massachusetts marketplace from the very beginning. Chairman Maynard noted that the company was among the first to apply and receive a license in the state despite the delay in launching.
“The eagerness comes out of the fact that we believe that to stamp out the illegal market and give people the protections that Massachusetts provides, it’s good to have options. Having someone that we’ve started with the licensing process, a group come in and actually get going, is exciting to us,” said Commissioner Maynard.
Joining the Party
Bally Bet will be the seventh mobile sportsbook operating in Massachusetts and will attempt to gain market share from the undisputed king in the Bay State, Boston-based DraftKings. The remaining five sports betting operators include BetMGM, Caesars, ESPN BET, Fanatics, and FanDuel.
As for Bally Bet, Massachusetts is the ninth market in which it has a license including Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, New York, Ohio, and Virginia while a July launch in Maryland is also in the works. In most states, including Massachusetts, a sports betting app cannot go live until it has been audited and its processes are inspected to ensure it is up to code before it is given access to the marketplace.
Although getting Bally Bet up and running is a priority for both the company and the MGC, there will be other news to discuss at the July 1st meeting. Among the more notable discussions is a tentative date to reconvene on the topic of reduced betting limits that are being imposed on customers by the sportsbooks, seemingly on a whim.
The subject has gained even more traction since it was initially brought up by the MGC because none of the active sportsbooks sent any representatives to the meeting to discuss it with the committee members. Needless to say, the snub did not go over well, and management from all seven licensees have assured the MGC they will be in attendance for the tentatively scheduled August 1st meeting.
