Bally Bet Still Coy on Massachusetts Launch Date to Chagrin of Regulators

Bally Bet has yet to make good on filling the sports wagering license it was granted as one of the eight original Massachusetts sports betting apps... and its delayed launch has caught the ire of regulators in the state. 

Bally Bet has been sitting on a coveted Bay State sports wagering license for over a year, and according to the sportsbook there still remains no firm timeline for launch of the betting brand as part of Massachusetts sports betting.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) Commissioner Nakisha Skinner voiced her displeasure at a Thursday meeting of the Commission, saying, “I would like to have Bally’s appear before us to communicate what their intentions are. It has now been quite some time since the license was granted. I think we as a body owe it to Massachusetts to understand exactly what it is they have got planned for the Commonwealth, and when.”

Where's the urgency?

Bally Bet has already sunk $2 million into its desire to become part of the bustling Massachusetts legal sports betting market - an initial $1 million application fee and another $1 million renewal fee. 

Bally Bet's inability, or what some think is reluctance, to launch in Massachusetts is certainly curious. 

Currently there are only seven Massachusetts sports betting apps taking wagers in a Bay State market that has so far been one of the most reliable in the country, with its Massachusetts sportsbook promos. The Commission was selective in their process of choosing the operators for its sports wagering scene, with our best sports betting apps among them, and Bally Bet's foot-dragging appears to be rubbing more than a few the wrong way. 

Cathy Judd-Stein, the chair of the Commission mused that “it’s an asset to have been approved by the state” and talked up Bally Bet's approval as a Massachusetts sports betting app as a "privilege."

There have even been accusations levied that not launching in Massachusetts is a direct result of the company attempting to bolster its presence in neighboring Rhode Island. 

“Are they not operating in Massachusetts because they want to benefit Rhode Island?” Stein asked at Thursday's meeting.

So, when? 

There has yet to be a firm timetable for a decision on Bally Bet's joining the best Massachusetts sportsbooks, although there appears to be an effort to get the provider to commit to a schedule.

Numerous efforts by the MGC to help the sports betting provider to speed things along were apparently quashed by Bally Bet, prompting MGC director of sports wagering Bruce Band to send a letter asking the company to clarify and present specific information about its plans for launch in the Massachusetts market.

Apparently, the closest the company has gotten to a commitment for launch in Massachusetts was Q2 according to a reported conversation Band had with Brett Calapp, Bally’s Chief Operating Officer of its North America interactive business.

The next steps

The MGC looks poised to force Bally Bet and its representatives to appear at a meeting in in the near future to discuss the long-overdue launch plans. 

Commissioner Brad Hill said, “I’d like to be a little more strict and say, ‘No, you are having a meeting with us,’ and if that means before the Commission, so be it.” That comment piggybacks on remarks by Commission Skinner that Bally’s brass owes an explanation on their delayed launch.

It is anybody's guess as to when we will see the Bally Bet product go live in the Bay State. But one thing is clear - patience is running out and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is serious about getting the answers it needs about Bally Bet's presence in the state's blossoming market.