Nov 19, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Massachusetts Minutemen running back Ellis Merriweather (7) is tackled by Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (45) and defensive lineman LT Overton (18) during the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

More online sportsbooks approved in Massachusetts

Six more online sportsbooks received licensing approval in Massachusetts last week.

With about two months remaining until online sports betting launches in the state, five of the six licenses applicants received unanimous approval from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Those five included Bally Bet, Betway, DraftKings, FanDuel and PointBets.

The only applicant that did not receive unanimous approval was Betr. One commissioner, Eileen O’Brien voted against awarding Betr a license over concerns regarding co-founder Jake Paul’s involvement in the company. Despite her objections Betr received approval with a 4-1 vote and was awarded a license.

With the latest six applicants all receiving license approval that brings the total of licensed online sportsbooks in the state up to 11. The other five include Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, Fanatics Sportsbook, and WynnBet. One last sportsbook, bet365 is still awaiting a review from the Commission.

While online sport betting isn’t set to launch in the state until sometime in March in-person sports betting in scheduled go live in time for the Super Bowl on January 31. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is next scheduled to meet on Friday, January 27 to discuss sports betting regulations. That doesn’t leave much time between that meeting and the scheduled launch of in-person betting on January 31, which had been brought up as a potential problem in meeting that deadline by Commissioners in the past.

Potential sports bettors in Massachusetts should keep a close eye on the Friday meeting to see if everything proceeds on schedule to ensure in-person betting can launch at the end of the month.