Sports Betting Reform Bill Clears Key Legislative Hurdle

The Bettor Health Act, Senator John F. Keenan’s (D-Quincy) bill to improve regulations surrounding sports betting, overcame a significant legislative hurdle on March 6.

The bill received a favorable report from the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies and was referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

Senate leadership will determine whether and when to bring the bill before the Senate.

The Bettor Health Act addresses specific public-health issues resulting from the legalization of sports betting in Massachusetts.

"Advancing out of committee represents a notable step for the Bettor Health Act," said Sen. Keenan. "During the previous session, a less comprehensive version of the bill did not advance from committee. The current progress reflects growing awareness and concern about the public-health harms associated with legalized sports betting. I look forward to continuing my work with colleagues to move this bill forward through the legislative process."

Sen. Keenan first filed a bill in 2023 to address concerns about deceptive sports-betting ads.

“We were getting calls at the office, and people were telling me they were seeing sports betting ads everywhere,” Sen. Keenan said. “They were on TV, of course, but also on trash barrels, phones, computers, the radio, and billboards.”

That version of the bill did not advance, but the problems with sports betting having only increased. The Bettor Health Act, like the earlier version of this bill, addresses deceptive advertising, but also protects bettors from the most heinous practices of the sports-betting industry.

The bill, if passed, would curb harmful sports betting practices by restricting impulsive bet types, such as in-play and prop bets. It introduces affordability checks for high-stakes bettors and limits advertising during televised sports events. It prohibits the practices of “hosts,” individuals employed by the betting platforms who are paid based on how much they entice people to bet. The bill also expands regulatory oversight to include promoters and agents, and calls for examination of the link between sports betting and suicide.

For more on the Bettor Health Act, visit: www.senatorjohnkeenan.com/bettor-health-act