{"id":901396,"date":"2026-04-25T00:26:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/25\/massachusetts-reopens-sportsbook-licensing-following-bet365-request\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T00:26:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:26:22","slug":"massachusetts-reopens-sportsbook-licensing-following-bet365-request","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/25\/massachusetts-reopens-sportsbook-licensing-following-bet365-request\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts reopens sportsbook licensing following bet365 request"},"content":{"rendered":"<section>\n<p><em><strong>The <a href=\"https:\/\/massgaming.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Massachusetts Gaming Commission<\/a> has unanimously voted to reopen the application process for sports wagering licenses, potentially allowing new operators to enter the state\u2019s market.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The move comes after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bet365.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bet365<\/a> submitted a request to be considered for a \u201cCategory 3\u201d untethered license, which would enable statewide online betting. In its letter to regulators, the UK-based operator expressed interest in one of the remaining permits.<\/p>\n<p>Massachusetts currently hosts three untethered online sportsbooks DraftKings, FanDuel, and Bally Bet with four additional licenses still available. Other operators, including BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics, and PENN Interactive\u2019s theScore Bet, operate tethered platforms tied to local casinos.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Justin Stempeck, MGC Deputy General Counsel, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>bet365 has engaged in conversations with staff for quite some time as to the appropriate process by which to make a request to the commission to reopen this particular process.We advised that they should send a formal letter, which they did.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Commissioners approved the decision with a 5\u20130 vote, agreeing to issue a Notice of Intent to gauge market interest.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Commissioner Brad Hill commented:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Whoever wants to come forward, feel free. And then there\u2019s the process we will go through to see if this is something that will fit for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or not.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Commissioner Nakisha Skinner said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>It could just be bet365, we could have others coming out of the woodwork. So I\u2019m fine with opening up the process.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>She noted that bet365 may not be the only interested party.<\/p>\n<p>Commission chair Jordan Maynard added that the timing aligns with the market\u2019s development, as March marked two years since online sports betting launched in the state.<\/p>\n<p>However, Eileen O\u2019Brien urged caution, warning that reopening the process before evaluating economic impact could be \u201cputting the cart before the horse.\u201d She suggested further analysis before awarding new licenses.<\/p>\n<p>Stempeck clarified that the current vote only reopens the process, with additional details on timelines and next steps to follow.<\/p>\n<p>If successful, bet365 would expand its US footprint further, adding Massachusetts to the growing list of states where it operates.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegamblest.com\/author\/milena\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Milena Yeghiazaryan\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-lazyloaded=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thegamblest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Milena-Yeghiazaryan-380x380.jpg\" alt=\"Milena Yeghiazaryan\" title=\"Milena Yeghiazaryan\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegamblest.com\/author\/milena\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Milena Yeghiazaryan\"><br \/>\nMilena Yeghiazaryan\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a><br \/>\n<span><br \/>\nContent Writer\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Milena has recently entered the iGaming industry with curiosity, turning the latest industry insights into engaging and accessible content. Passionate about innovation and new opportunities, she enjoys exploring the iGaming world and sharing stories that keep readers informed and up-to-date.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/s\/thegamblest\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n<svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n<path d=\"M11.944 0C5.346 0 0 5.346 0 11.944C0 18.542 5.346 23.888 11.944 23.888C18.542 23.888 23.888 18.542 23.888 11.944C23.888 5.346 18.542 0 11.944 0ZM18.168 8.121L15.937 18.641C15.773 19.373 15.341 19.553 14.73 19.211L11.328 16.703L9.687 18.281C9.505 18.463 9.353 18.615 9.001 18.615L9.244 15.158L15.539 9.467C15.813 9.223 15.48 9.088 15.115 9.331L7.332 14.232L3.987 13.187C3.259 12.96 3.245 12.459 4.141 12.108L17.208 7.071C17.813 6.846 18.341 7.208 18.168 8.121Z\" \/>\n<\/svg>JOIN OUR TELEGRAM CHANNEL<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> Milena Yeghiazaryan <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegamblest.com\/massachusetts-reopens-sportsbook-licensing-following-bet365-request\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has unanimously voted to reopen the application process for sports wagering licenses, potentially allowing new operators to enter the state\u2019s market. The move comes after bet365 submitted a request to be considered for a \u201cCategory 3\u201d untethered license, which would enable statewide online betting. In its letter to regulators, the UK-based<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":901397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24229,24862],"tags":[9151,43729],"class_list":{"0":"post-901396","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-massachusetts","8":"category-reopens","9":"tag-massachusetts","10":"tag-reopens"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=901396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/901397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=901396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=901396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=901396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}