Massachusetts Ponders Sports Betting Kiosks in Bars and Restaurants

The people of Massachusetts may one day find themselves placing sports bets at their local bar or while enjoying a meal at a neighborhood restaurant. 

This could all happen provided the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which is currently exploring the possibility of introducing sports wagering kiosks in retail locations, decides to give the proposal a go. 

No Economic Benefit from Kiosks in Retail Locations 

The move could potentially bring sports betting into everyday social spaces, but the current climate suggests that it may not happen anytime soon.

According to the State House News Service, a report prepared for the Commission “concluded there is essentially no economic benefit to allowing people to bet on sports at kiosks in retail locations like restaurants and bars, and that the financial and societal costs for such an expansion could be significant.”

The report, spanning 116 pages, was crafted by Spectrum Gaming Group in partnership with the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health. 

The report highlighted that while kiosks might offer limited economic advantages to small businesses, the financial results observed in Ohio, where retailers averaged less than $225 annually in direct kiosk revenue, raise doubts about their viability in Massachusetts. 

The study also questioned whether hosts, vendors, or the Commonwealth would see sufficient economic returns to justify the investment and effort required to implement and sustain such a program.

Examples from Montana and Washington, D.C.

Besides Ohio, similar setups have been tested in Montana, where sports betting kiosks have been integrated into a variety of establishments, including bars and restaurants. 

The outcome they created was the creation of a more accessible, yet modestly profitable, gaming environment. 

Washington, DC has taken a different approach by allowing sports betting kiosks primarily in hotels and stadiums.

The state focused more on creating a regulated betting environment instead of expanding accessibility.

Passionate About Gaming

While Massachusetts will continue to assess the feasibility of kiosk betting, its passion for gambling is undeniable, traced back to the legalization of betting on dog and horse racing in 1934 and following the introduction of the state lottery in 1971. 

Later on, the Expanded Gaming Act of 2011 paved the way for casino gaming. In 2022, sports betting was also given the green light, attracting a lot of youngsters and prompting healthcare experts to raise concerns over the impact of betting on vulnerable groups. 

However, this latest potential step into kiosk-based sports betting remains uncertain, despite the state’s long-standing interest in gaming.

In the meanwhile, the state offers a variety of unconventional sports for wagering, including Australian Rules Football, pesäpallo, netball, floorball, futsal, snooker, handball, and ultimate disc sports like frisbee and disc golf.

Earlier in the month, we reported on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s request for data from licensed sports betting operators regarding the extent of player limitations.