Sports betting is now legalized in the state of Massachusetts, but you won’t be able to place bets on the 2023 Boston Marathon. Not yet, at least.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission unanimously voted down a proposal from sportsbook DraftKings in a Thursday morning meeting to allow DraftKings to list the race in its “special events” category for wagering.
Massachusetts legalized mobile sports betting in the state last month on March 10, but road racing and running was not authorized, according to WJAR.
Scott Stover, the Chief Marketing Officer of the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), sent a letter to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Wednesday requesting that the proposal be denied due to lack of time to prepare.
“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,” the letter, which was presented at the gaming commission’s Thursday meeting, reads.
Stover added that “The Boston Marathon is a trademarked and protected name, and the Boston Athletic Association has not granted permission to use this trademark in relation to this proposal.”
The Gaming Commission took the B.A.A’s concerns into consideration and ultimately decided to vote down the DraftKings proposal 4-0.
In its proposal, DraftKings was asking to allow for wagers on the top 20-ranked professional men and women in the professional field as well as an over/under on the winning times.
“There are few greater events than the Boston Marathon and it’s nationally known, but in the commonwealth, it’s very local. It underpins a local holiday, Massachusetts Gaming Commission commissioner Jordan Maynard said. “I’m going to respect this local organization's request to be included in the process that could potentially ever allow wagering on their event. For that reason, I don’t think they can work out any issues in 12 days and that seems reasonable.”
Commissioner Eileen O’Brien added: “With any request, my expectation would be that an operator would reach out to the governing body, the Boston Marathon in particular, what it means to the city and, in particular, on this year, 10 years out from the tragedy, I am disappointed, to say the least, that a local operator did not, in fact, do that. I am absolutely inclined to listen to the organizers of the event, who have said even needing to respond to this is a distraction for them in getting ready for something that’s going to be happening in a matter of days.”
The door is open for betting on the Boston Marathon to be legalized perhaps for the 2024 edition of the race, but this time around—at least according to the state’s gaming commission and the B.A.A—the turnaround time just wasn’t enough.
Dan Beck is the deputy news editor at Runner’s World. He has led news coverage teams for major running events like the Olympic Games, World Athletics Championships, Boston Marathon, and New York City Marathon. A former collegiate distance runner at DeSales University, he still enjoys running, just more slowly now. Before coming to Runner’s World, he covered track and field and cross-country at MileSplit. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, where the two like to explore the city’s rich dining scene.
