Massachusetts: MGM Springfield awarded sports betting license ahead of expected 2023 launch

But the road to approval has not been a straightforward journey as officials have faced setbacks and pointed questions from regulators. The casino missed an important application deadline last month and faced delays in approval two weeks ago after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission pushed off a key vote.

And even with a unanimous vote to hand MGM Springfield a sports betting license, Monday’s hearing was no easy task for the handful of officials and lawyers who showed up to argue in favor of the casino.

Regulators focused on a lawsuit the casino faces, disappointment aired by Springfield politicians last week, and the relationship between MGM Springfield and BetMGM, an online sportsbook that has been selected to provide many of the wagering services for in-person betting.

Gaming commissioners delayed a Dec. 7 vote after deciding the MGM Springfield sports betting license application did not sufficiently answer questions about BetMGM’s technology and compliance with rules in other jurisdictions. BetMGM is also separately seeking a mobile sports betting license that is tethered to the Springfield casino.

And on Monday, Commissioner Nakisha Skinner revisited some of those points, including how MGM Springfield would ultimately maintain control over its operations considering BetMGM would play such a significant role in running the casino’s in-person sportsbook.

“I have a hard time imagining a scenario where we have different concerns about BetMGM as a vendor than we would as a category three [mobile] tethered applicant,” Skinner said. “I think all of the issues that we’d be concerned about in connection with their category three application, they’re present and very much an issue in their role as a vendor for MGM Springfield.”

Attorney Jed Nosal, who has been advising the casino through the sports betting licensing process, said BetMGM is nothing more than a service provider for MGM Springfield’s sports betting operations, which the casino retains full control over.

It’s a similar relationship, he said, to one MGM Springfield has with the company that runs its slot machines.

“MGM Springfield and MGM Resorts International, and all of the qualifiers that are in front of you, their suitability stands on its own,” he said. “They are suitable, and the commission can move forward with this application based on that existing suitability of the applicant and its qualifiers. And that’s what’s called for in connection with the review under the regulations, as well as what’s called for in the application.”