Massachusetts lawmakers push for stricter sports betting rules as addiction concerns grow

As Massachusetts grapples with the rapid growth of its legal sports betting market, state lawmakers are sounding the alarm over what they see as a mounting public health threat.

State Senator John Keenan is leading a push for sweeping reforms to rein in what he describes as predatory practices by betting companies and to prevent what he fears could become a crisis akin to the opioid epidemic.

Keenan, a Democrat representing Quincy, has filed the “Bettor Health Act,” a comprehensive bill that would impose new restrictions on the state’s multibillion-dollar sports betting industry.

The proposal targets a range of activities that health advocates argue contribute to gambling addiction, including a ban on prop betting and advertising during sports broadcasts, and stricter financial controls. It also calls for increased support for addiction treatment services.

“They target these people, knowing that they are addicted, and they make most of their money off of those who are addicted. And they do it with very aggressive marketing, much like Purdue Pharma did,” Keenan said in an interview with Boston.com.

First legalized in Massachusetts two years ago, sports betting has grown quickly in popularity. Nearly $14 billion in bets have been placed statewide, with the overwhelming majority of wagers made online. That boom has also come with a surge in public concern.

Keenan said complaints from constituents began almost immediately, particularly about promotional ads that offered large amounts of betting credit with minimal personal investment, promotions he described as misleading.

In his district south of Boston, Keenan said the public response escalated from concern to distress as stories of compulsive gambling began to surface. Individuals began contacting his office with accounts of missed mortgage payments, absenteeism at work, and criminal behavior tied to gambling debts.

“If we don’t learn from what happened with the opioid epidemic and get out in front of this as fast as we can — and I think we are already behind — then we’re going to have a public health crisis,” he further told Boston.com.

The proposed bill, co-sponsored by Representative Lindsay Sabadosa and Senator Patricia Jehlen, seeks to stem what Keenan calls a wave of unchecked growth.

It would ban prop bets, wagers on specific in-game events rather than game outcomes, which Keenan describes as particularly addictive due to their fast pace and high engagement. “I’ve heard [prop bets] called the crack cocaine of sports betting. It gives that instant gratification, it triggers the same receptors as what crack cocaine and other drugs do,” he said.

Nationally, the sports betting industry reported a record $13.71 billion in revenue in 2024, surpassing the previous year’s total of $11.04 billion, according to ESPN.

A recent survey conducted by Siena College and St. Bonaventure University found that 22% of Americans now have an active online sports betting account, including nearly half of men aged 18 to 49. 

The Sports Betting Alliance, which represents major sportsbooks such as DraftKings and FanDuel, responded to the calls for stricter rules by arguing that legal sports betting is already well-regulated and that "alarmist headlines" overstate its risk to underage and vulnerable populations.

“Data shows that problem gambling rates remain low since the rise of legal sports betting, consumer protections on the legal market are stronger than ever, and that most people spend less per month on sports betting than they spend in a week on their morning Starbucks,” said Nathan Click, a spokesperson for the group, in a recent statement to The Boston Globe.

Opponents of the bill warn that stricter regulations and higher taxes could drive bettors to unregulated offshore sites. But Keenan rejects that argument, pointing to similar laws in nearby states like Rhode Island and New Hampshire, where he says such a shift has not materialized.