The Massachusetts Senate has rejected a budget amendment that sought to raise the tax on online sports betting from 20% to 51%. Senator John F. Keenan proposed this change as part of amendment 828 to the 2025 budget.
Since the introduction of regulated sports betting in Massachusetts in 2023, the state has collected $127 million in tax revenue, according to the American Gaming Association. The tax revenues from gaming and betting are allocated to five different funds, with the majority funneled into the state's General Fund, which has received $57.2 million from bets since 2023.
In contrast, Illinois senators recently adopted budget amendments for the 2025 fiscal year that increased the tax on betting. In Illinois, the lowest state operator tax will now be 20%, with the highest reaching 40%. The Sports Betting Alliance, which includes major operators like BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, and FanDuel, criticized the budget as "an extremely disappointing decision that will cause real harm to the industry."
