Senator John Keenan has pitched a new bill, SD 1657, also known as the Better Health Act, to Massachusetts lawmakers.
The bill’s key components include an increased sports betting tax for operators from 20% to 51%, a ban on sports gambling-related advertisements on broadcasts, and a requirement that sportsbook operators contribute more to the state’s Public Health Trust Fund.
If the legislation were legalized, it would also aim to ban proposition-type bets, which it cites as used to promote addictive behavior. It would also limit the amount of time a person can gamble on mobile sportsbooks if the operator does not provide affordability checks on consumers.
Currently, Massachusetts requires its residents to be at least 21 years of age to gamble. Yet, the Bay State has also reported a steady rise in gambling-related problems, with the state’s problem gambling helpline reporting over 3,000 calls in 2023, a drastic surge compared to the previous year’s 1,379.
“If we don’t see the similarities, we’re going to find ourselves again so far behind trying so hard to create an infrastructure to address it,” Keenan said, linking the increase in online gambling to the opioid crisis.