Massachusetts sports betting in 2026: what Patriots fans can use

Is sports betting legal in Massachusetts? Yes. Adults 21 and over can use seven licensed sportsbook apps anywhere in the state and the sportsbooks at its three casinos. What is not settled is the other kind of venue: whether prediction markets may offer sports contracts to people in Massachusetts is in front of the state's highest court. Here is where things stand for Patriots fans as of Friday, Nov. 6.

The law and the regulator

Massachusetts legalized sports wagering in August 2022 with a law now codified as Chapter 23N of the General Laws. Retail sportsbooks opened at the casinos in January 2023 and mobile apps went live that March. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission writes the rules, issues the licenses and fines operators that break them. Online books pay a 20% tax on their adjusted revenue and retail sportsbooks 15%.

The law has one rule Patriots fans rarely run into but college fans do: Massachusetts books cannot take bets on the state's own college teams except in tournaments. Professional teams, the Patriots included, are fully on the board.

Who is licensed

The Commission's licensee list has seven online operators: DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics, Bally Bet and Penn Sports Interactive, whose app is theScore Bet (the former ESPN BET, renamed in December 2025). BetMGM is tied to MGM Springfield, Caesars to Encore Boston Harbor, and Fanatics and Penn to Plainridge Park; the other three hold untethered licenses. The three casinos, Encore in Everett, MGM in Springfield and Plainridge Park in Plainville, a few miles from Gillette Stadium, run the retail books.

Five of the seven, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Fanatics and theScore Bet, are priced on the board, so those rows are prices a fan in Massachusetts can actually take. Caesars and Bally Bet are licensed but not on the board.

The list could grow. In April the Commission voted to reopen applications for online licenses after bet365 asked to apply, Covers reported, with notices of intent due in May. We found no license awarded as of this review, so bet365 is not available in the state.

What lawmakers tried this year

State Sen. John Keenan's bill to raise the online tax from 20% to 51% and ban prop and in-game bets cleared a committee in the spring and drew a lobbying response from the industry, WBUR reported in May. We found no sign that it became law before formal sessions ended this summer, and the apps still offer props and live markets.

Prediction markets: in court

Massachusetts has gone further than most states against prediction markets. Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell sued Kalshi in September 2025, arguing its sports contracts are unlicensed sports wagering, and in January a Suffolk Superior Court judge granted the state a preliminary injunction against them, the Boston Globe reported. The Appeals Court stayed that order on Feb. 17 while Kalshi appealed, Law360 reported, so Kalshi's sports markets kept running. The Supreme Judicial Court took the case directly and heard arguments in May. As of Nov. 6 it had not ruled, according to CBS Sports' state tracker. A ruling for the state would end the stay.

Polymarket US sued the attorney general and the Commission in federal court on Feb. 9 to stop the state from treating it the same way, Axios reported. The Commission has also warned its own licensees, in a November 2025 letter, that offering sports event contracts here could cost them their licenses, iGaming Business reported.

For a Patriots fan today, that means Kalshi and Polymarket US are open but contested, and either could change on short notice. Check the app before signing up.

Novig, a CFTC-regulated exchange where you take a position on a game at a price set by other traders, is available in Massachusetts. It is live in 47 states, every state but Arizona, Michigan and Nevada, Deadspin reported in August, and requires users to be 21. Pre-game trades on NFL games carry no fee.

The short version

• Sportsbooks: legal at 21, seven licensed apps, five of them on our board.
• Retail: Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park.
• Prediction markets: Novig is available; Kalshi's sports markets run under a court stay while the Supreme Judicial Court decides the state's case; Polymarket US is in federal court with the state.
• Help: the Massachusetts Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-327-5050, and 1-800-GAMBLER works nationwide.

The Massachusetts page prices this week's Patriots game only at the venues a fan in the state can open, and Sunday's game page has every venue side by side.

This site is for readers 21 and older. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER.