Daily fantasy sports laws in America can be a little confusing at times. While some states have passed legislation making their stance on DFS very clear, others allow DFS websites but have also never passed specific laws to make it explicitly legal. This can, obviously, lead to some misinterpretation. Luckily, the Massachusetts daily fantasy scene is more straight forward.

In 2016, Massachusetts passed a bill to make DFS legal temporarily while details like taxes and regulations were sorted out. Two years later, a new bill was passed into law which made Massachusetts daily fantasy sports permanently legal.

Todd Winkler, Editor at online-gambling.com

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Todd Winkler has been an editor at online-gambling.com for 6 years. His focus is on guides and articles about poker games, blackjack, and DFS. With relatives in New Zealand, he is also well aware of the gambling industry in the country.

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Online Daily Fantasy Sports in Massachusetts – Overview

Massachusetts daily fantasy sports was in flux for quite a while. Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill in 2016 legalizing DFS, but that bill was always set to expire in 2018. Fortunately, in the bill was amended to make DFS permanently legal in the Bay State. Unusually, no taxes were put onto DFS although new legislation this year may change that; there is currently talk of an amendment to put 12.5% tax onto DFS winnings.

Draft Kings, one of the biggest DFS sites, is actually based in Massachusetts. This is not the only site on which you can play, but it is one of the most popular. Let’s take a look at which sports are available to play in Massachusetts on Draft Kings and other sites.

Online Daily Fantasy NFL – The Patriots

The NFL is always one of the most popular DFS leagues. It involves drafting nine players into your fantasy team, while staying within the given salary cap. You can then enter your team into private or public competitions to try and win cash prizes. The people of Massachusetts have more reason than most to be interested in the NFL. The New England Patriots are based in the Greater Boston area and have been playing in the NFL since 1970. The rivalry between the Patriots and the New York Jets is known to be one of the bitterest rivalries in the NFL.

Online Daily Fantasy NBA – Boston Celtics

When playing NBA fantasy, you must draft a team of eight players without going over the $50,000 cap. The players must come from at least two different NBA games. Again, Massachusetts residents have good reason to keep up with the NBA. The Boston Celtics play in the National Basketball Association league and is actually one of the eight teams with which the league was founded.

Online Daily Fantasy MLB – Boston Red Sox

To join an MLB fantasy league, you must draft ten players to enter into a competition. All of the players must be on that week’s playing roster and you must make sure you have a balanced team – you cannot have more than five hitters in a team. Massachusetts is clearly a big state for sports, as it also has a professional team in the MLB: the Boston Red Sox. They have won nine World Series championships, making them tied third for the most championship wins of any MLB team.

Online Daily Fantasy NHL – Boston Bruins

Draft eight skaters and a goalie, and you can enter NHL fantasy leagues. You can win points with your team in categories such as goals, assists, shots on goal, saves, and shutouts. Massachusetts has the Boston Bruins playing in the NHL. It has existed since 1924, making it the third oldest team in the league. The team has won six Stanley Cup championships, making it tied fourth place for most wins of all time.

College Ice Hockey – Minutemen

The UMass Minutemen ice hockey team represents the University of Massachusetts and plays in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I.

The team is famous for its role in the Opening Round of the 2015 Hockey East Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, played at Compton Family Ice Arena at Notre Dame. It was the longest Division I hockey game in history, lasting 151 minutes, 42 seconds.

Timeline of Daily Fantasy Sports Legislation

Massachusetts is a state with a lot of history. Numerous types of gambling have been legalized only to be banned again at a later point. Let’s take a look at some of that history surrounding gambling in this state.

If you’re interested in learning more about gambling in Massachusetts, take a look at our dedicated page.

Legal Daily Fantasy Betting Age in Massachusetts

The minimum age for gambling in Massachusetts depends on the type of gambling you want to play. You must be at least 21 years old to gamble in casinos, but only 18 years old for lottery, bingo, and racing.

Numerous types of gambling are legal in Massachusetts. Pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing is allowed, although dog racing has been illegal since 2009. Non-profit organizations are allowed to run certain gambling games for fundraising purposes, including bingo, raffles, and casino nights. Since the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act, three casinos run in Massachusetts: the Encore Boston Harbor, the MGM Springfield, and the Plainridge Park Casino. Two tribal casinos are in the planning and construction stages but complications with legislation means that both are currently in legal limbo.

As in many states, if a person is caught gambling underage, the establishment that allowed it can be more harshly punished than the individual. Having said that, you can be fined up to $1,000 for gambling in Massachusetts if you are under 21 years old. The operator faces up to $500,000 in fines for a first-time offence, or even prison time.

• DFS Betting Age
  The minimum age to play DFS in Massachusetts is 21 years old.
• Alcohol Age
  The minimum drinking age in the state of Massachusetts is 21 years old.
• Weed Age
  You must be at least 21 years old to use marijuana recreationally in Massachusetts.

Is Daily Fantasy Betting Legal Outside of the State?

Daily fantasy sports are very popular in the United States. Massachusetts may be the fifteenth more populous state in America, but it punches well about its weight when it comes to DFS. The Bay State is estimated to be responsible for more than 6% of all DFS entry fees in the USA. Research suggests that there are more than 75,000 active DFS players in Massachusetts, making it a top ten state in terms of DFS activity.

DFS is entirely legal in Massachusetts, but this is not too surprising since most of the states in the area have also made it legal. Connecticut made DFS legal in August 2018, shortly after Massachusetts. New Hampshire and New York have also both legalized DFS and have state regulations in place to oversee it. Rhode Island is the only neighboring state which has not actively legalized daily fantasy sports. You can still play DFS legally in Rhode Island, but there are some debates about regulation and legal interpretations.

The Best Fantasy Sports App in Massachusetts

Nowadays, we like to be able to do everything from grocery shopping to playing games on our smart phones. The DFS sites are obviously aware of this and you will find that the majority of them have optimized their sites for use on a mobile phone. On top of this, most of the larger DFS sites have apps that you can download from the app store so that you can play easily anywhere. We’ve tried and tested the lot and here is our top pick for you.

Taxes on Daily Fantasy Winnings: Legal Overview

All gambling winnings are subject to federal taxes and then some states also impose state taxes on top of that. In Massachusetts, you will have to pay the 25% federal tax but there are currently no state taxes on DFS winnings. This may change in the near future so keep an eye out for any news on this as you are responsible for ensuring that you pay all relevant taxes. The Massachusetts government website has all of the necessary information.

Upcoming Regulation Changes to Be Aware Of

It has been a bit of a rough ride for Massachusetts daily fantasy sports, with temporarily legislation put in place in 2016, to then be replaced with permanent regulations in 2018. The next step is probably going to be to take another look at online gambling. Some states such as New Jersey and Nevada have recently legalized online poker, so it is possible that if this goes well Massachusetts will follow suit. There is also already legislation moving slowly through the courts potentially to legalize sports betting, so watch this space!

Daily Fantasy Guides for Nearby States

• Connecticut
• Rhode Island
• New York
• New Hampshire