After Boston Celtics win, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker presses for sports betting bill

Gov. Charlie Baker brandished the Boston Celtics’ victory over the Golden State Warriors Thursday as his newest argument in favor of legalizing sports activities betting in Massachusetts.

Bay Staters needed to cross over state strains — together with to Connecticut, New Hampshire and New York — to position wagers on Recreation 1 of the NBA Finals, Baker lamented Friday afternoon to reporters.

“There are lots of people who actually simply drive out of Massachusetts in order that they will guess on sports activities, and it’s occurring everywhere in the nation,” Baker mentioned. “And and not using a authorized means to do that, it’s somewhat bit just like the marijuana difficulty. You simply go away the black market there, and also you don’t form of deliver it out of the shadows and make it a part of the common crime. I feel we should always do this.”

A much-anticipated invoice authorizing sports activities betting in Massachusetts is lodged in convention committee, as Home and Senate committee members negotiate key variations of their laws, together with whether or not to permit collegiate sports activities betting. Home Speaker Ron Mariano has mentioned omitting that provision can be a dealbreaker, although the Senate’s model — replete with client protections to curtail downside playing — didn’t embody betting on school sports activities.

Baker on Friday joked that it was a mistake he didn’t guess on the NBA Finals consequence.

“I ought to have reached out to Gov. Newsom,” Baker mentioned. “We’ll attain out to his workplace to see.”

Baker additionally praised the Celtics for his or her resiliency Thursday in San Francisco however wouldn’t predict whether or not the crew might sweep the Warriors.

“They went out to play the Warriors on the Warriors’ dwelling court docket, the place the Warriors had a whole bunch of video games price of NBA Finals’ expertise, and the Boston Celtics had no video games and finals expertise, and naturally the Warriors haven’t misplaced as soon as within the playoffs since they started,” Baker mentioned. “And so they have been sort of banged up too, they usually beat them — they usually beat them within the fourth quarter.”

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