On Thursday, April 6, 2023, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission unanimously voted to reject the request DraftKings to allow Massachusetts residents to place bets on the outcomes and futures of the 2023 Boston Marathon.
DraftKings is an American company that allows legal wagering on sporting events as well as wagering on daily and weekly competitive fantasy sports leagues.
DraftKings had supplied a written proposal to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to add the Boston Marathon to the list of permissible events open for monetary wagering.
DraftKings had noted that although the race is scheduled to have about 70 professional runners, the proposal was for only “the top 20 men and women professional winners and men and women winning time (over/under) for wagering.”
Furthermore, DraftKings was only requesting to legalize futures and outcomes, which means that a bet would be made on whether an athlete would win the race or how they would place in the results but there would be no in-race betting.
The sports betting company hoped that the proposal would be accepted due to the fact that legalizing outcomes wagering might increase viewership.
According to a report from casino.org, the Boston Athletics Association (B.A.A.) had specifically requested that the proposal from DraftKings be denied.
Reportedly, the chief marketing officer of the B.A.A., Scott Stover, sent a letter to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission asking the commission to turn down the request with a stated reason that there was an inadequate amount of time to prepare for the implications of opening up wagering for the event this close to race day.
The 127th Boston Marathon will take place on April 17, 2023, and will see some 30,000 runners compete along the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Boylston Street
The letter from Stover and the B.A.A. was presented to the gaming commission on Thursday morning.
It stated: “At this moment, there is not sufficient time for the Boston Athletic Association, nor its many partners and agencies, to coordinate and fully ensure proper protocols are in place to support such a proposal for wagering on our event.”
This motion propelled the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to deny the request to legalize betting on the 127th Boston Marathon.
Although this means that Massachusetts residents will not be allowed to place bets on the outcomes of the race, you can still make your own non-monetary guesses on who will win.
Check out details on the professional field in the 127th Boston Marathon here as you get excited to watch the race unfold on Monday, April 17.
