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SPRINGFIELD — When retail sports betting kicked off in Massachusetts on Tuesday, bettors who attended the hilarious BetMGM Sportsbook ribbon-cutting ceremony at MGM Springfield were greeted with a vast life-size poster of Kevin Garnett .
Garnett, the 2008 NBA champion of the Boston Celtics and 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, is captured on a 15-foot poster of him holding a smartphone with the BetMGM logo in his left hand and palming a basketball with his right. It is
Garnett was only seen in poster form at the opening of a retail sportsbook in Springfield on Tuesday, but another modern Boston sports great was one of the first bets of the ceremony. Former Bruins defenseman Ray Burke placed a bet on the Bruins on Tuesday to lift the Lord Stanley Cup later this year. If he wins, Burke’s $100 bet on the Stanley Cup favorite (+450) will go to his foundation.
Burke, a five-time Norris Trophy winner for the league’s top defense with the Bruins, made the book’s first bet alongside three Massachusetts politicians. Local lawmakers, state Senator Adam Gomez, Congressman Carlos Gonzalez, and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno were all betting on the Super Bowl.
“This has been a long-awaited one and brings a new chapter of innovation to enhance MGM Springfield operations and development,” said Sarno.
In-person sports betting officially opened in Massachusetts at 10am on Tuesday. This is what happened at MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor. #Mapori #sports betting https://t.co/vYpbbE9Tir
— Chris Van Buskirk (@byChrisVan) January 31, 2023
Start your Local Pole ‘Humble’ experience
Local politicians are optimistic that the rise of retail sports betting will benefit the Springfield area. Gonzalez, a Democrat, represents his 10th Hampden district in the state, which covers part of the city of Springfield. Philadelphia He bet $50 on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl at odds of -125.He said he believes the opening of the sportsbook will bring an influx of visitors to the casino. I was.
Gomez, another Springfield Democrat, last year sponsored Senate legislation in favor of legalized sports betting. He took the other side in the Super Bowl, betting $100 on the Chiefs at +105 on the moneyline. All four invitees pledged to donate their potential prize money to charity.
“It’s a humbling experience to see newly passed laws in my city today,” Gomez said. “This is an important opportunity. [state’s] The first bets in sports betting take place today in Springfield. ”
MGM Springfield is one of three sportsbooks that open their windows at 10am on Tuesdays, along with Encore Boston Harbor (WynnBET) and Plainridge Park Casino (Barstool Sportsbook).
Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano was one of the original bettors at Encore Boston Harbor. He bet $50 each on the Bruins’ Stanley his cup win and the Celtics his NBA championship. At 10 a.m., a “first bet” was also made by his 32 selected customers in the sportsbook’s kiosk room. Several retired local sports stars, including former Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon and former Celtics standout Cedric Maxwell, placed bets at the window at 10:30 am.
Former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich cut the ribbon Tuesday afternoon at Plainridge Park, a casino just minutes from Gillette Stadium. Ninkovich paid the Bruins his $50 and Stanley he won the Cup. During football season, this location is sometimes Pats’ pitstop for his fans on their way to the stadium.
Online release date undecided
Retail sportsbooks get at least a month head start over their digital counterparts before online sports betting begins in March. attended a ceremony at MGM Springfield on Tuesday. MGC has not officially set a general start date for mobile sports betting.
Three sportsbooks are not yet accepting pre-registration for online accounts. MGC has not disclosed whether sports betting customers will be able to open online accounts in his February, but industry sources said: sport handle Such signups will soon be available statewide.
Sports betting in Massachusetts is live. pic.twitter.com/Ilfiqmu2BH
— Sammy P (@spshoot) January 31, 2023
Bringing Revenue Back to the Gulf State
Before mobile launches in March, Massachusetts bettors will have to go directly to the book to bet on the Super Bowl and other events.
One bettor, who declined to be named, said: sport handle On Tuesday, he visited the Las Vegas Strip “10 to 12 times” in the past 30 years for March Madness. I bet on the Minutemen from the book. Before sports betting was legalized in Massachusetts, gamblers drove across the border to Rhode Island several times.
Another bettor, who also wished to remain anonymous, set up a $5 two-leg parley at a BetMGM kiosk inside the sportsbook area. A customer whose daughter attends Providence College bets that the Celtics will win her NBA title (+400) and that Providence will win the men’s basketball national championship (+10000). A long shot parley would have her paying over $2,500 for a $5 bet. Bettor said he would often make bets on his mobile phone while making a trip to Connecticut until this week and grocery shopping for his wife.
With a population of approximately 7.2 million, Massachusetts is the 15th most populous state after Arizona. From a sports betting perspective, the two states have many similarities given that they are home to franchises of the top four professional sports leagues in North America.
Massachusetts also ranks among the nation’s top economies per capita, and BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt is optimistic that the state will become one of BetMGM’s top markets in the country. showing the point of view. According to one metric, Massachusetts is the nation’s second-largest state in terms of his per capita GDP in 2021 ($76,324), putting him second only to New York.
New York finished 2022 with the nation’s highest sports betting handle with over $16 billion in 2022.
“I think we have a recipe for what you see in New York – real enthusiasm and a lot of action,” said Greenblatt. sport handle.
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