Massachusetts Bill Would Ban All Prop Betting
David Genge Published 01/06/2026
The Bettor Health Act, a new Massachusetts sports betting bill, is aiming to completely revamp how people in the state can wager on sporting events. Among its proposed measures are a complete ban on all prop betting and a prohibition on sports betting advertising during live sports broadcasts.
Betting companies would be mandated to double contributions made to addiction treatment facilities. There would also be an increase in the taxation rate on sports betting companies, and restrictions placed on the maximum amount a person is permitted to bet each day. Sports betting operators would also be required to provide much more information on gambling data to the state.
A Massachusetts Senator compares the sports betting outbreak to the opioid crisis
Massachusetts State Senator John Keenan, a Democrat from Quincy, is among three co-sponsors of the Bettor Health Act. He's joined as a co-sponsor by state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and state Sen. Patricia Jehlen.
Keenan draws comparisons between the rapid rate of increase in sports betting and the manner in which drug companies created the craze for OxyContin that helped to fuel America's opioid crisis.
“They target these people, knowing that they are addicted, and they make most of their money off of those that are addicted," Keenan told Boston.com. "And they do it with very aggressive marketing, much like Purdue Pharma did.
“If we don’t learn from what happened with the opioid epidemic and get out in front of this as fast as we can — and I think we are already behind — then we’re going to have a public health crisis.”
The Bettor Health Act is designed to target the areas of concern
The Bettor Health Act, the bill introduced by Keenan, Sabadosa, and Jehlen, is designed to target the specific areas of concern that public health officials insist are the root causes of problem gambling addiction.
Among the changes proposed with this legislation is a complete ban on all prop betting in Massachusetts. Prop bets are wagers on outcomes taking place within the game. It could be a bet on which team will score first, or an over/under proposition on how many yards rushing a running back will compile during a game.
Keenan worries about the adrenaline rush that arrives with a winning prop bet becoming addictive to a bettor.
“I’ve heard [prop bets] called the crack cocaine of sports betting," Keenan said. "It gives that instant gratification.
"It triggers the same receptors as what crack cocaine and other drugs do.”
The Bettor Health Act is also calling for a complete prohibition on all sports betting advertising during sports event broadcasts. It was also be placing limits on the maximum amount a player may bet over 24 hours. Sports betting operators would be required to provide more detailed betting data to state regulators. It would also be mandated that sportsbook operators double their current contributions to a state fund supporting gambling addiction treatment services.
Sports betting sites are ready for battle
In the two years since Massachusetts legalized sports betting, wagering amounts to nearly $14 billion. In 2025, state officials reported that its gambling helpline saw a 121% increase in calls.
The Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) believes that the Bettor Health Act is an overreach. The SBA is a lobby group advocating for the leading U.S. sportsbooks,
“Data shows that problem gambling rates remain low since the rise of legal sports betting," SBA spokesperson Nathan Click told the Boston Globe. "Consumer protections on the legal market are stronger than ever.
"Most people spend less per month on sports betting than they spend in a week on their morning Starbucks.”
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