IAGA SUMMIT FOCUS: ONE BIG QUESTION: MASSACHUSETTS SPORTS WAGERING
It was a thrill last month to have so many folks in Boston for the International Gaming Summit. Te event was special not only for the information shared and the variety of presentations from the Governor’s opening remarks and Amy Latimer’s engaging keynote address, but also because we could all be in- person to experience the summit.
As for so many regulators, there is a great deal that crosses my desk daily. Asking one big question can turn into two and three big questions quickly. Right now, what is front of mind for my fellow commissioners and me is what may happen with sports wagering in the Commonwealth.
Ever since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, there has been an increased interest in legalising sports wagering across the country. Today 30 states and Washington, DC allow for sports wagers to be taken at retail wagering sites, online or a combination of both. Five additional states have authorised, but not yet launched sports wagering.
In the years since, Governor Baker and legislators in my home state of Massachusetts have filed several bills to legalise sports wagering in the Commonwealth. Last summer, the Massachusetts House passed a sports wagering proposal and just a few months ago, the Massachusetts Senate passed their own version. While these bills look to accomplish a similar goal, the policies they propose vary in scope. A common denominator in each bill is that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) would be designated the regulator of the new industry.
Currently, a conference committee has been established between the two chambers to negotiate what shape a compromise bill may take. Tere isn’t a lot that can be predicted about what the Legislature may or may not include in a potential final version of a bill, and how and if sports wagering will be implemented is still embedded in the legislative process. However, appreciating what our potential role might be in the new industry, the MGC has kept an eye on the various proposals, responded to the Legislature when our opinion is sought, and continues to assess potential needs should a bill be signed into law.
Our aim is to understand our current capacity, learn what best practices can be replicated from other states, and identify pain points to be avoided. If a bill is passed and signed into law in the Commonwealth, the MGC is committed to implementing sports wagering thoughtfully, thoroughly, and without unnecessary delay.
An essential component of all our work is a focus on responsible gaming with an eye to the research that helps guide our decision making. Te Massachusetts Legislature was thoughtful when they legalised casino gambling in the Commonwealth to put a heavy emphasis on responsible gaming and the sports wagering
P48 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Cathy Judd-Stein Chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission
Cathy Judd-Stein joined the Massachusetts Gaming Commission as Chair in 2019, after having served the Commonwealth as part of five successive gubernatorial administrations. Most recently, she served as Deputy Chief Legal Counsel for the Office of the Governor. In that role, she provided guidance to Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito on a broad array of legal issues. She has spent much of her career dedicated to public service, advising extensively on public ethics and the state conflict of interest law, governmental reforms, and education and human services. Ms. Judd-Stein served as an instructor of “Ethics and Public Policy” for UMass Boston’s John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies from 2007-2015.
In 2000, Governor Paul Cellucci appointed Ms. Judd-Stein to serve as Deputy Legal Counsel and his ethics advisor. She remained in that same position for Governors Jane Swift, Mitt Romney and Deval Patrick (through his transition), and then served as Governor Patrick’s Executive Director of the Judicial Nominating Commission. From 2011-2013, she worked at the Massachusetts State Lottery as Assistant Executive Director, Director of Policy and Special Counsel and then was named General Counsel of the State Treasury by the State Treasurer and Receiver. She served in that capacity until her appointment by Governor Baker in 2015.
A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Ms. Judd-Stein is a Trustee of St. Johnsbury Academy in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. She also is a member of the Women’s Health Advisory Board for the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. In 2020, she completed her six-year term as a member of the National Board of Directors for GLAAD, a dynamic media force for the LGBTQ community.
She is former President of the Class Officers Association at Dartmouth College, former Chair of the Board of Directors of Boston’s Associated Day Care Services (now “Nurtury”), and former Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Winchester (MA) Foundation of Educational Excellence.
Ms. Judd-Stein lives in Winchester, Massachusetts and she and her husband are the parents of three adult children.
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