Sports betting now legal after Charlie Baker signs several bills into law [Boston Herald]

Sports betting is now legal in Massachusetts, though it may be a while before there is anywhere to place a bet.

“Our administration first filed legislation to legalize sports wagering in the Commonwealth several years ago, and I am glad to be able to sign this bill into law today,” Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday.

The law will allow betting on professional sports and a compromise plan for collegiate betting which excludes wagers on Massachusetts-based school sports unless a team is in a tournament.

“This new law will give residents new ways to engage with sports, generate new jobs and investment, and includes some of the strongest consumer and player safeguards in the country. I’m confident this law will be a model for other states, and I look forward to seeing its full implementation in the months ahead,” state Sen. Eric Lesser said after the bill’s signing.

Baker’s signature does not make bets immediately available, as the state’s gaming commission will need time to implement the law. That agency may take a few months to iron out the details of how the program will work, it said during its last meeting.

“We appreciate the dedication and compromise that the Legislature demonstrated on this issue, and we look forward to supporting the work of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on the responsible implementation of the law over the next several months,” Baker said.

The governor also signed several other laws Wednesday.

“MassTRAC will invest $11.4 billion in the Commonwealth’s roads, bridges and environmental infrastructure through proven, existing programs,” Baker said of an infrastructure bond bill.

That bill arrived at Baker’s desk, ballooned by nearly $1.7 billion from his March submission. Baker has hailed the bill as a way for the state to make use of federal funds made available during the pandemic.

“The bill will also advance major projects in cities and towns across the state by providing matching funds that will allow Massachusetts to compete for funding through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Baker said.

Baker also signed a judiciary IT bond bill which included an amendment aimed at bringing the state’s firearms laws in line with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on licensing restrictions.

The governor vetoed a plan to start a pilot program to help lower-income families meet the cost of health insurance through expanded eligibility for premium payment and point of service cost assistance, saying it impeded executive authority.

Supporters of the law were not pleased.

“At a time when families are struggling to make ends meet in the face of rising costs, denying them access to care and relief from health care costs does not make sense,” Amy Rosenthal, executive director of Health Care For All, said in a statement.

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