It has been two years since then-Gov. Charlie Baker signed the bill that legalized Massachusetts sports betting.

Since then, sports betting has delivered in a big way for (some) operators and for the state's coffers. The Commonwealth has collected more than $158.4 million in tax revenue from retail and online betting since it launched in early 2023. 

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission and its staff has been in charge of it all since betting was legalized. However, the MGC has undergone a major transition among some of its top personnel. 

The latest notable official to depart is Sports Wagering Chief Bruce Band. He was the first such person to hold this position, which was created in the wake of the Sports Wagering Act of 2022 becoming law. 

Band, a 46-year veteran of the gaming industry, joined the MGC to help with the implementation of casino wagering in the state, and agreed to stay with the agency until sports betting was up and running. His retirement is effective as of September 6. 

"I did what I came here to do, which is open casinos for the State of (Massachusetts). I was then asked to get Sports Wagering off the ground, which I have done. I have trained two very competent managers to carry on where I left off, which I hope the commission allows them to take over. I have put 46 years in this industry, so maybe it is time to do something else," Band told bookies.com. 

Band opened nearly 20 casinos in New Jersey and Massachusetts. He also served with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and as a casino industry consultant.

RELATED: Massachusetts Hints At Rules On Player Limits

MGC Undergoes Turnover At The Top 

Among the top MGC positions to turn over since betting began:

• Commission Chair (+ Commissioner Vacancy)
• Investigations and Enforcement Bureau Chief 
• MGC Executive Director
• Chief Of Sports Wagering
• Sports Wagering Operations Manager 

The job listing for Band's position was posted on the MGC's site. His replacement will report to new Executive Director of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Dean Serpa. A former deputy Chief of Staff to Baker, Serpa was hired in March. He replaced Karen Wells, who left the MGC last year after 10 years with the agency. 

MGC Chair Cathy Stein retired in March. Commissioner Jordan Maynard was named interim chair. But Stein's position on the MGC remains unfilled and the Commission only has 4 of its 5 spots filled. 

The MGC also saw Investigations and Enforcement Bureau Chief Loretta Lillios retire in 2023. She was replaced by Caitlin Monahan in March. 

Sports Wagering Operations Manager Sterl Carpenter left the MGC in August of 2023 to oversee the launch and direct sports betting in North Carolina. The Tar Heel State launched in March. Andrew Steffen formally replaced Carpenter in January.

Olympic Betting Rules Different In Massachusetts

As the Paris Olympics enters its final week, Bay State residents remain prohibited from legally wagering on all events. 

Among the rules in the state's betting catalog is the following: 

"Wagers on Summer and Winter Olympic competition (including trials) . . .  in which the final outcome of the event is primarily based on the evaluation or assessment of a judge or panel of judges is not allowed."

That means no legal betting in Massachusetts on the following Summer Olympic events (listed alphabetically): 

• Boxing
• Break Dancing
• Diving
• Equestrian
• Freestyle BMX
• Gymnastics
• Judo
• Rhythmic Gymnastics
• Skateboarding
• Surfing
• Taekwondo
• Trampoline
• Wrestling

These restrictions were discussed in depth during a meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission last year. The Commission voiced concerns about the lack of consistency and oversight in judging across many sports, especially during the Olympics. The MGC reiterated these rules on July 11. 

RELATED: Daily Olympics Betting Guide

Celtics Bring In Big June Numbers 

The Boston Celtics run to Banner 18 boosted betting handles in the Bay State. The 6 online and 3 retail sports betting operators in the Bay State in June booked $509,356,529.22 in handle during the month of June, according to figures released by the MGC.

That figure represents a 65.1% increase over June of 2023, The difference in handle between June 2023 and June 2024 was $177.33 million. Last June, the Celtics missed the NBA Finals when they lost the Eastern Conference finals to the Miami Heat in seven games. That series ended on May 26. The 2024 Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the NBA Finals. All 5 games took place in June, with the Finals ending on June 17.

DraftKings continued its position of market dominance in its home state. The Boston-based book, which has a partnership with the Celtics, posted a handle of $263.66 million. That represented 51.6% of the overall market, in line with how things have gone since the launch of online betting in Massachusetts in March of 2023. 

DraftKings Director of Race and Sports Johnny Avello said his book did well throughout the NBA season this year nationwide. Part of the success was because of the varied offers by the book, especially in its heavily-promoted same-game parlays. The books also enjoyed a profitable ride in the futures markets because the long-shots, like Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers, failed to win it all. 

"We did well, overall. The season was a good season, it ended up good for us. No complaints," Avello told bookies.com on July 15.

"We continued to put up more offerings. Same-game parlays are more popular than before. OKC was a big hazard for us, as were the Los Angeles Lakers. (Futures markets) bettors took shots on higher-priced teams. The Celtics were never a high price."

Boston opened the season at +375 to +400, depending on the book. 

Two of the state's three retail operators booked a loss on the month in taxable betting revenue. MGM Springfield reported $548,601.02 on the negative. Plainridge Park Casino saw $186,969.16 in losses in the same category.

Massachusetts Market Hyper-Competitive 

Here's the latest breakdown in terms of operator by handle and market hold according to the June 2024 monthly figures released by the MGC. 

1. DraftKings: 52.0%
2. FanDuel: 27.7%
3. BetMGM: 4.1%
4. ESPN BET: 3.9%
5. Fanatics: 3.7% 
6. Caesars Sportsbook: 3.5%

Bally's Now Underway In Bay State

Bally's became the 7th live online Massachusetts sports betting operator on July 1.

However, the sale of Bally's to Queen City Casino in July leaves its entire online betting operation in doubt. 

Bally's Massachusetts had originally sought to launch in June but told the MGC that it still had "one outstanding issue" that prevented it from doing so. 

Bally's has been licensed in Massachusetts since 2023, but has yet to launch because of financial issues within the company and other challenges facing its online sportsbook. It paid the $1 million required for a Massachusetts sports betting license last year but never took a single wager. It re-upped with the state for another $1 million for 2024 in March. 

“It’s taken us some time to get here,” Bally's COO Brett Calapp told the MGC at a meeting in March. 

Bally's will leverage its sports betting presence in Massachusetts to help build its main money-maker in Rhode Island - online casino betting. The operator hopes to lure Bay State sports bettors to cross the border and use its igaming app in Rhode Island. Rhode Island-based Bally's will be entering an extremely competitive market dominated by DraftKings. Boston-based DraftKings has commanded about a 50% market share in handle since mobile sports betting began in Massachusetts in March of 2023. 

FanDuel runs second in Massachusetts, and has captured about 30% of the Bay State legal betting market. 

Two online operators have already left the Massachusetts markets. WynnBET and betr launched in 2023 but did not renew their licenses this year. WynnBET shut down its online sports betting operations nationwide, save for New York. Its New York license was sold to ESPN BET earlier this year for $25 million. Betr said it was reallocating its resources to more lucrative markets, but has not ruled a return to Massachusetts. 

Other Massachusetts Betting News 

That same day, the MGC fined Fanatics $15,000 for booking a 5-leg parlay that included a wager on the Boston University men's basketball team on Dec 13, 2023. Betting on in-state colleges in Massachusetts is not allowed under the 2022 Sports Wagering Act. 

Fanatics quickly realized the mistake and removed the BU leg from the $2 wager, which eventually lost. 

The state's online operators have agreed in principle to attend a yet-to-be-rescheduled meeting with the MGC to discuss patron wager limits. The MGC held a public roundtable on May 22 but all 10 online and retail operators in the state opted not to attend. The only operator who did show up was, ironically, Bally's. 

The mass no-show left regulators fuming. Interim Commissioner Jordan Maynard on Wednesday at the MGC's agenda setting meeting discussed the perimeters of rescheduling the roundtable. The MGC will meet on August 1 to talk about the terms and potential questions on an operator roundtable on wagering limits. This meeting about the meeting will likely set a date for a new roundtable.