Best Casinos in Massachusetts – Gambling in Massachusetts
Updated on: February 2nd, 2021
Casinos in Massachusetts are somewhat limited to just three for the whole state. The three casinos in Massachusetts are split into the three regions in the state. Even so, you can still enjoy commercial casino game slots and other table games at the casinos.
If you are looking to find a new casino in Massachusetts it’s not likely to happen because MA gambling laws are quite strict. However, they may be headway for online casinos in the state soon. Due to casino shutdowns experienced from Mid-March of this year due to pandemics, a few other states have realized online gambling as a safe alternative.
Here’s hoping The Bay State will adopt what is fast becoming the norm. As it is residents here can enjoy what is technically online gambling by betting on Daily Fantasy Sports.
This guide to gambling in Massachusetts looks at what the handful of casinos in Massachusetts offers to potential visitors. Additionally, we look at the laws around the two yet to be legalized forms of gambling – sports betting and online gambling. We have also listed the best US online casinos for our readers in other states.
Yes, it is legal to gamble in Massachusetts. Although state lawmakers are strict in their regulations of gambling in the Bay State there are a good number of options for gamblers. They are:
Commercial Casino gaming
Massachusetts Lottery
Horse Race Track Betting
Gambling for charity purposes
Daily Fantasy Sports Betting
Tribal Casinos (in the pipeline)
Gambling in Massachusetts Laws
As we have mentioned there’s a strict regulation of casinos and gambling in general. The gambling age in MA is different for unique forms of gambling. Legal gambling age for Bingo games, lottery games and racetrack betting are 18. For daily fantasy sports betting and casino gaming the gambling age is 21.
Online casino gambling is not legal (yet) in MA. However, there is a wave of change across the USA where laws are changing to accommodate online casino gaming. This is largely been influenced by the fact that we are living through a pandemic and many states have lost casino revenue they have been getting from land-based casinos. Based on this it would not be surprising to online casinos operating directly from the Bay State.
Gambling Casinos in Massachusetts
Currently, there are only three casinos in Massachusetts locations spread across the state. Each casino is in a different region and according to state laws, there can only be one casino in each region. One of the three casinos, Plainridge Park is a slots parlor and racino. If you want to play other classic casino games such as poker, bingo, roulette, blackjack, and more, you can go to MGM’s casino in Springfield or Encore in Boston Harbor.
The new casinos in Massachusetts to look forward to are tribal casinos. There are two federally recognized tribes in the state – the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head in Aquinnah. They have waged many a legal battle to be allowed to build tribal casinos on their reserves. In 2016 the Mashpee tribe began work to build a casino but were swiftly undercut by the state after another legal battle. Since then they have been in limbo. After a lengthy legal battle, it seemed Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head in Aquinnah had come out victorious. They even started construction in 2019 but they too were blocked from going ahead by another court decision. They went back to court in January 2020, we will wait to see how it plays out. Who knows, we may have two new casinos in Massachusetts soon!
