New Hampshire this week became the second state in New England to accept wagers on sporting events, joining Rhode Island.
For now, bets in New Hampshire will be accepted online, with retail locations expected to open later this year.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamontsays he wants to see the General Assembly take up the issue this year.
In Massachusetts, there's pending legislation that would also open the door to sports wagering.
Panelist Carrie Saldo said Massachusetts State Senator Eric Lesser has said he wants to take his time on the issue in the legislature.
"There's an interesting local connection here with a group called Fair Play Massachusetts," Saldo said. "Ryan McCollum, who's a local political consultant, but also the spokesperson for this group, really hopes that Massachusetts will take a slightly different tack than New Hampshire, and allow for local establishments to offer up sports betting — say, any place you'd walk into that has Keno might also then have sports betting."
Panelist Matt Szafranski said he hopes the Massachusetts legislature will act before the session ends in July.
"We've run into the trap of trying to reinvent the wheel every time, or trying to do something that the other New England states have done," Szafranski said. "If there's some concerns, or if there's some innovation they want to do — such as what Carrie mentioned, that Fair Play wants — we should certainly consider that. But the bigger concern is that it just takes forever to write a piece of legislation, when there may be something off the shelf that they can tweak just a little bit to get it going."
In Springfield, Mayor Domenic Sarno, along with the City Council, are slated to be sworn in to another term next week. The mayor and council have been at odds in recent years over a number of issues. Sarno was asked recently about the rocky relationship, and said he bases his decisions on "good government."
There are also new mayors taking office in some other western Massachusetts communities. Greenfield Mayor Roxann Wedegartner was sworn in this week. In Chicopee, John Vieau takes the oath Monday, as will Don Humason in Westfield. There will be a special election in the next few months for Humason's state Senate seat, which will be up for grabs again in the general election.
Guests:
- Carrie Saldo, host, Connecting Point on WGBY
- Mass Szafranski, editor, Western Mass Politics & Insight
Listen to The Short List Podcast.
