Massachusetts – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations

Find the Best American Casino Online

If you want to go out to test your luck in a land-based casino in Massachusetts, you will find lots of options. It is one of the states in the US where gambling is legal. Due to strict government regulations, the number of casinos is relatively limited, however. We’ll have a closer look at your land-based options later on in this guide. 

Unfortunately, it is a different story when it comes to online gambling and sports betting. There are efforts to legalize online casinos in the near future but, right now, there is no such legal framework in place yet. However, there are several online casinos across the globe that are accepting players from this area. Most of them are operated and regulated in Curaçao, Anjouan, or Costa Rica. You should be aware that it is legally a gray area to play at those casinos. But this doesn’t keep players from using the foreign casinos at all. 

• Check the jurisdiction of the online casino
• Does the casino accept players from Massachusetts?
• Do you have access to the accepted payment methods?
• Is the casino properly licensed to ensure fair gaming?
• Use a VPN connection to access the casino
• Be aware of the legal situation and the risk involved
• The minimum age to gamble in land-based Massachusetts casinos is 21

We recommend having a look at the GoodLuckMate top list where you can find several international online casinos that accept players from the United States.

Gambling Regulation – Massachusetts Gaming Commission

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is responsible for regulating all gambling activities that take place in the state. This includes online gambling and land-based casinos. Currently, online casinos cannot be operated from this state. Many politicians started pushing a gambling license for online casinos in the year 2018. With this step, they want to attempt to reduce the activities on the gray market and to replenish the state budget. The only legal form of online gambling in Massachusetts is fantasy sports.  

Land-based casinos are heavily regulated. At the moment, there are six casinos and slots parlors in the state that are licensed by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Here, you can play various slot machines and table games, such as poker, roulette, baccarat, craps, and blackjack. The minimum age to enter a casino is 21. There is also a state lottery that can be played in several outlets and online. The minimum age to participate in the lottery is only 18.

Localized Online Casinos

As Massachusetts is a gray market for online casino operators, they are not allowed to advertise their services directly in this state. As a result, you won’t be able to find any specific offers that are specially designed for residents of Massachusetts. But this might soon change, however, as many gambling experts assume that online casinos will become fully legal in the near future. 

The good news is that almost all the foreign-based online casinos offer a wide selection of promotions and bonuses that are available globally. This means that players from Massachusetts can also benefit from such offers. The most lucrative deals are the generous welcome packages for new players. The vast majority of online casinos rewards newly signed up players with a large bonus with their first deposit that sometimes even includes additional free spins and other benefits. 

Gambling with US Dollars

US dollars are commonly supported in many online casinos across the globe. This is extremely beneficial for players from Massachusetts that want to play on the gray market, as they can avoid paying additional currency conversion fees. Please note, however, that the availability of the US dollar as a currency in online casinos depends highly on the operator. There are a large number of casinos in Europe for example, that accept players from the US but do not support US dollars. Instead, you can play in euros and several other European currencies. In this case, you can still use your credit cards as usual but might have to pay a small conversion fee. Alternatively, you can choose to play at one of the popular Bitcoin casinos as cryptos are Fiat currency independent in this regard.

Casinos in Massachusetts 

As previously mentioned, there are a total of six casinos in Massachusetts. One additional casino, the First Light Resort & Casino, is in the planning stage but construction has currently been halted due to a ruling of the supreme court dating back to 2018. The newest and probably most prestigious casino is the Encore Boston Harbor located in Everett on the historic Mystic River waterfront. The design is similar to the famous Wynn and Wynn Encore in Las Vegas. 

The MGM Springfield is another luxury resort and entertainment destination situated on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River. Smaller casinos include the Plainridge Park Casino, the Aquinnah Cliffs Casino, and the racetrack's Raynham Park and Suffolk Downs. Currently, you can also legally play online at several Daily Fantasy Sports operators. Online casino games such as the common table games and video slots are not offered in Massachusetts yet and can only be accessed through foreign operators over the gray market, as previously explained.