The legislative session closed for many states recently. For Massachusetts, that meant an end to hopes for 2026 legalization of online casinos. The state’s Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies voted to refer a House bill for study rather than advance it any further, delaying any potential for legalization until 2027.

Bill would have created up to nine Massachusetts online casinos

As introduced by Rep. David Muradian, H4431 would carve out up to three skins for each of the state’s three land-based casinos. That would create up to nine real money online casino apps operating under the oversight of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission with a tax rate of 15% on adjusted gross revenue.

The bill also would have formally prohibited online sweepstakes operators that offer content simulating casino games online, lottery and sports betting. The DraftKings Casino promo code, among others, are available in nearby New Jersey.

While the joint committee did not advance the proposal, its pledge to study it in more detail ahead of 2027 provided some optimism. As Muradian told the State House News Service, H4431 exits the 2026 session with plenty of momentum and “will hopefully serve as a springboard to future economic growth” in Massachusetts.

Lawmakers discussed Muradian’s bill last fall before they agreed to extend its reporting deadline until March.

Massachusetts preparing for internet lottery launch

Legal gaming expansion is already on the way for Massachusetts, which is preparing to go live with online lottery this year, powered by Aristrocrat Interactive. The iLottery service expects to offer online draw game tickets and instant-win games that resemble real money online slots.

While debating the online casino bill, Deb Goldberg, treasurer and lottery commissioner, emphasized that authorizing the launch of new online casinos would not be beneficial for the state or the lottery. In fact, she argued, legal casino apps would actually threaten the bottom line of potential revenue.

Massachusetts is surrounded by states with legal online casinos, with the likes of Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey nearby. What’s more, another New England state will soon join the crowd as Gov. Janet Mills allowed a bill to become law that legalized Maine online casinos.

Proponents of legal online casinos in Massachusetts have noted that those surrounding markets siphon potential revenue from the state while also pointing out that authorizing regulated iGaming would help curb black market operators and better protect state residents.

A fire ripped through several trucks behind a bowling alley in Brockton, Massachusetts, on Saturday afternoon, firefighters said.

Images shared on social media, including by City Councilor Winthrop Farwell Jr., showed heavy smoke billowing from the fire behind Westgate Lanes near Route 27.

The fire involving a group of tractor-trailers parked next to each other was reported just after 2 p.m., Brockton Fire Chief Brian Nardelli told reporters after the blaze was knocked down.

“It was extending from truck to truck,” Nardelli said, and spread to the woods behind where the trucks were parked.

No one was hurt, including the firefighters, who “were able to kind of beat back the fire” in the brush, according to Nardelli.

Investigators hadn’t yet determined what started the fire as of Saturday afternoon, but the chief said he didn’t suspect foul play. The city’s fire marshal was at the scene.

Some trailers had been completely gutted by the blaze.

Unions of nearby fire departments noted on social media that they’ve been called to assist in Brockton.

The developer of a major Massachusetts offshore wind farm is suing its turbine manufacturer seeking to force it to stay with the project.

Vineyard Wind filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Massachusetts against GE Renewables. That comes after the parent company for GE Renewables said it would be terminating its contracts for turbine services and maintenance at the end of April.

GE Vernova says Vineyard Wind owes it $300 million for work it performed. But Vineyard Wind counters that the manufacturer remains on the hook for about $545 million to make up for a catastrophic turbine blade collapse in July 2024 and the delays that caused.

Fiberglass fragments of a blade broke apart and began washing onto Nantucket beaches in July 2024 during the peak of tourist season. GE Vernova agreed to pay $10.5 million in a settlement to compensate island businesses that suffered losses.

The lawsuit states that the project already has been significantly damaged by GE Renewable’s “inexcusably poor performance,” and allowing the contractor to back out now would case irreparable harm. Craig Gilvarg, spokesman for Vineyard Wind, said Friday that the lawsuit is meant to ensure that GE Renewables fulfills its obligations to the project “and to the people of Massachusetts and New England who are relying on the significant power and economic benefits this project is already providing.” He said Vineyard Wind is expected to provide $3.7 billion in savings to electric customers over the life of the project.

GE Vernova said the company is exercising its right to terminate agreements for nonpayment for work performed.

“The company remains committed to the safety of the wind farm and stands by our performance and our contractual obligations,” the company said in a statement. “We will vigorously defend our position through the appropriate legal process.”

Construction finished on Vineyard Wind in March, making it the first project to reach this stage during President Donald Trump’s time in office. It had already been providing power to the grid for over a year as more turbines were finished. It is expected to reach full operations in the coming months.

According to the lawsuit, GE Renewables is the only company able to perform the remaining work, and it would be virtually impossible to find another turbine supplier willing to take its place. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

GE Vernova has said that insufficient bonding at one of its factories in Canada was responsible for the blade coming apart and that there was no indication of a design flaw. Sixty-eight out of the 72 blades that had been installed at Vineyard Wind at the time were removed and replaced. Vineyard Wind said that set the project behind nearly two years.

The Trump administration has been particularly critical of the project because of the blade failure.

It was one of five major East Coast offshore wind projects the Trump administration halted construction on days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. Developers and states sued, and federal judges allowed all five to resume construction, essentially concluding that the government did not show that the national security risk was so imminent that construction must halt.

Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, located 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. It has 62 turbines that will generate a total of 800 megawatts. That is enough clean electricity to power about 400,000 homes.

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