MGC and Wynn following the Sport Betting case with much interest

As the Supreme Court is likely to rule in favor of allowing sports betting throughout U.S., the city of Everett, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) and Wynn Boston Harbor are watching the case with much interest for various reasons.

For Wynn Boston Harbor casino, the authorization of sports betting could mean billions of dollars in added gaming revenues when it opens in 2019. While plans are already in place for the typical table games and slot machines at the casino, expanding it to include sports betting would mean an opportunity to increase gaming revenue for the City, the state and Wynn.

After Monday’s oral arguments at the high court in Washington, D.C., Bob DeSalvio, president of Wynn Boston Harbor Wynn stated: “We at Wynn Boston Harbor are watching the court case with interest,” “Our industry supports legalized and regulated sports betting but the ultimate decision rests with the courts, state and federal lawmakers and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.”

Around July, the American Gaming Association (AGA) estimated that Massachusetts could gain USD 682 M in economic output, USD 133 M in added tax revenue and an additional 3,261 new jobs if sports betting were allowed as part of the expanded gaming act.

For the AGA, President Geoff Freeman said after the arguments that he was encouraged by the questions and will wait to see the courts ruling in the months to come.

“Today is a positive day for the millions of Americans seeking to legally wager on sporting events,” he said Monday afternoon. “While we can’t predict the intentions of Supreme Court Justices, we can accurately predict the demise of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection of 1992 (PASPA). The justices of the Court expressed deep interest in the role of the federal government – a role that we believe has created a thriving illegal market that has driven trillions of dollars to offshore websites and corner bookies. States and tribal sovereign nations have proven to be effective regulators of gaming and today’s oral arguments before the Supreme Court moved them one giant step closer to offering a new product that Americans demand.”

As for the MGC, spokesperson Elaine Driscoll said “We are following any developments closely,” “the Commission has not taken an official position on this topic.”

At issue in the case is the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which has come up through the case Christie (as in New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie) vs. NCAA. The State of New Jersey pushed the boundaries of sports betting in 2012 and tried to institute it within their state – only to be stopped by lawsuits from five sports leagues, including Major League Baseball. That case has wound itself through several federal jurisdictions until landing at the high court earlier this year.

When the act passed, both New Jersey and Nevada had the ability to continue with sports betting. Only Nevada proceeded, which is why today the only legal sports bets in the United States are in Nevada.

That is where Wynn keeps its blockbuster Race & Sports Book, an actual area of its casino in Las Vegas that the company has just renovated at great expense.

Were the Supreme Court to rule in favor of states such as New Jersey, one could simply substitute Everett for Las Vegas – and it would mean hundreds of millions more in gaming revenues each and every year by most estimates.