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Inside Massachusetts' likely first 3 sportsbooks

Employees work at the DraftKings sportsbook at Resorts Casino in Atlantic City N.J., in Nov. 20, 2018. (Wayne Parry/AP File)
Employees work at the DraftKings sportsbook at Resorts Casino in Atlantic City N.J., in Nov. 20, 2018. (Wayne Parry/AP File)

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here


Let’s all have a Bones Day today in memory of Noodle the pug.

Think your holiday season is busy? Talk to the folks over at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. As they work to launch in-person sports betting next month, the commission is holding meetings on 13 of the 17 weekdays between Dec. 1 and Christmas. That includes meetings today, tomorrow and Thursday to review applications from the three casinos hoping to host the state’s first sports wagers: Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and the Plainridge Park Casino. At this point, the reviews seem like somewhat of a formality; it’d be a massive surprise if any of the casinos are denied a license. But their pages of application documents do provide an interesting peek inside the sportsbooks they’re setting up. Here’s a look:

  • Encore Boston Harbor is planning a main sportsbook with a few dozen betting kiosks, 70 TVs and a 10-by-123-foot video wall. The Everett casino is also planning to scatter sports betting kiosks at bars, poker rooms, lounges and other areas around the casino — including an “Express Sportsbook” in the parking garage with kiosks and 15-minute parking that would allow people to place bets without stepping inside the casino.
  • Out west, MGM Springfield says it has built a sportsbook with stadium seating and a 45-foot video wall. According to their application, they currently have a counter where staff can take bets in person, but also have room to add automated kiosks.
  • In Plainville, the state’s sole slots-only casino plans to also offer kiosks and an in-person window to take sports wagers. But it sounds like the Plainridge Park Casino’s sports betting area won’t be ready to open in late January; according to their application, they’re planning “a temporary betting counter” in the meantime.
  • What’s next: Before voting on the licenses, commissioners will question each of the applicants during the meetings this week about their plans and issues like security and responsible gaming. All three casinos also plan to partner with mobile apps, but online sports betting isn’t slated until March or so.

Lowell officials are looking at lowering the default speed limit on city-owned streets from 30 mph to 25 mph to make the roads safer, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. City Councilor Dan Rourke told WBUR’s Dave Faneuf that the 5 mph difference has big implications. Studies show the risk of serious injury and death for pedestrians hit by cars jumps significantly between 25 mph and 30 mph.

The town of Wayland is paying its police chief over $350,000 to resign after an investigation showed he violated many of the department’s sexual harassment policies. Police Chief Sean Gibbons had been on leave since March, four months after he got the job.

  • Investigators found Gibbons had sexual relationships with two members of the department during his previous two decades on the force. He told WCVB the relationships were consensual, but is apologizing for “poor judgment.”

Remember that student loan bill on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk? He’s sending it back to the Legislature. The Republican governor says he agrees with the bill’s aim of preventing most people from getting their professional licenses refused or revoked over unpaid student debt. However, he has a problem with blocking all agencies from doing so.

  • Why? Baker says the bill would stop the state’s financial services regulator from considering student loan defaults when reviewing the “financial responsibility of certain licensees” — which he says could result in downstream harm for consumers. So, he’s sending the bill back to lawmakers with an exemption that would effectively leave out money-related jobs like lending or brokering.
  • What now? Since the State House is in informal session, the Democratic supermajority can’t simply override Baker like usual. Instead, they can accept his suggestions or wait for Governor-elect Maura Healy to take office to see what she thinks.

P.S.— Tune in from the comfort of your home tonight to watch WBUR’s Carrie Jung talk to fellow NPR education reporter Anya Kamenetz about the COVID pandemic’s “profound disruption of kids’ lives.” Virtual tickets are $5 (and free for WBUR Sustainers).

Headshot of Nik DeCosta-Klipa

Nik DeCosta-Klipa Newsletter Editor
Nik DeCosta-Klipa is the newsletter editor for WBUR.

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