BetMGM, Bet365 Begin Process To Obtain Untethered Sports Betting Licenses In Massachusetts

By Bill Speros

May 20th, 2026 3:39 PM EDT

MGM Springfield

Both Bet365 and BetMGM have submitted "Letters of Intent" to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission expressing their desire to obtain a Category 3 "untethered" online sports betting license in the Commonwealth, Bookies.com has learned.

The move by BetMGM could potentially signal a major shift in the Bay State's sports betting landscape, Currently, BetMGM's online book operates in conjunction with its retail sports book at the MGM Springfield casino in the Western part of the state. Its "Category 1" online sports betting license requires the online book to be tied to a retail betting establishment.

During an earnings call in April, MGM president Bill Hornbuckle said the company continues to have "ongoing discussions" concerning the sale of its MGM Springfield property - and another casino in Ohio. If the Springfield retail sports betting operation were to cease operations, or change hands, BetMGM would need to apply for a new sports betting license in Massachusetts. A license not tied to the retail book in Springfield.

The BetMGM sportsbook in Springfield offers 71 seats and a 43-foot big screen TV wall. It has 5 betting counters and 17 betting kiosks, and operates from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., seven days per week.

Retail sports betting launched in Massachusetts in January 2023. Since launch, the WynnBet Sportsbook at Encore Boston Harbor was rebranded after Wynn ceased its sportsbook operations in a dozen states. The retail book at Plainridge Park Casino has weathered two rebrands, including one when its parent company PENN Entertainment owned Barstool Sports.

Retail operators pay 15% of their net revenues to the Bay State in taxes, while online operators pay 20%.

Representatives from BetMGM had no comment. Bookies.com also reached out to MGM Springfield and Bet365 for comment.

Sports Betting Operators In Massachusetts

The current sports betting operators in Massachusetts are:

• Category 1 (Retail Sports Book)
• Encore Boston Harbor
• MGM Springfield
• Plainridge Park Casino
• Category 2 (Parimutuel)
• None
• Category 3 (Tethered To Casino)
• BetMGM (MGM Springfield)
• Caesars Sportsbook (Encore Boston Harbor)
• Fanatics Betting & Gaming (Plainridge Park Casino)
• Penn Sports Interactive (Plainridge Park Casino)
• Category 3 (Untethered To Casino)
• Bally Bet
• DraftKings
• FanDuel

Massachusetts Launch Up Next For Bet365?

Bet365's request to seek an untethered online sports betting license in the Bay State led the MGC to reopen the process.

The deadline for operators to submit a "Letter of Intent" in Massachusetts was May 15. Applications themselves can be submitted at a later date. Given that there are currently seven Category 3 licenses available but only four current Category 3 operators in Massachusetts, the MGC simply has to approve the BetMGM and Bet365 applications.

With the recent launch of Bet365 Michigan, that company operates in 17 U.S. states.

“Massachusetts is a huge market. We know Massachusetts die-hard sports fans. We know how committed they are," Bet365 Head Of Development Trip Stoddard told Bookies.com last month. "We’ve got a competitor who's got a headquarters there. We know it's a very competitive market, but we also know that sports betting's in our DNA. I mean, we can talk about predictions and how we're monitoring that situation, but we're a sports-first company. We're globally number one.”

iGaming has yet to be legalized in Massachusetts, and Stoddard said its future in the Bay State played no part in his company's decision to potentially operate there.

Bet365 Goal: No. 1 In Legalized Sports Betting & Casino

Meanwhile, Bet365 has intensified its U.S. expansion in the past year, Stoddard said.

We're looking at where we really could be the number one player in the legalized sports betting and digital casino space. I mean number one. I don't mean number three. I don't mean number five. This is our company’s DNA. We don't enter markets to say, ‘Hey, let's hang out in the background and see what happens.’ You saw us as a second mover. You saw us trying to figure out the U.S. Now if you look at our state launches, you look at our marketing partnership, you just open our app. I think everyone's aware that we're not looking for a podium, we're looking for a gold medal.

Bet365 recently left the American Gaming Association and joined the Sports Betting Alliance, citing its “digital-first” focus. The SBA includes DraftKings and FanDuel, both of which have launched a prediction-based product in the U.S.

Currently, 39 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico allow legal sports betting. Of those, 32 have legalized online wagering.

“We're looking at every state that we can get into. With our US focus, with our (Denver) headquarters, we're pretty much trying to be in every new state day one and continue to enter all the other states that we're not,” Stoddard said. “Early on, we saw a lot of other European operators that tried to come into the market halfway. We didn't want to do that; we saw how it developed. We knew we wanted to be in New Jersey, but we really wanted to make sure we would be in the U.S. long term (but) didn't want to bring a European product here, we didn't want to bring European marketing offers here.”

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