SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2428        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Jacob R. Oliveira

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to wagering on political outcomes.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2428        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act relative to wagering on political outcomes.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to  to prohibit gambling on political outcomes in the commonwealth, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.
 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 271 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 6C the following section:-

Section 6D. For the purposes of this section, "political outcomes" shall include, but not be limited to, elections for public office within the commonwealth, appointments to public office, the passage, amendment or failure of legislative measures and any other official decision-making processes conducted by political bodies within the commonwealth. No person shall knowingly place, accept or engage in any form of betting or wagering on political outcomes. No person or entity shall establish, maintain, operate or promote any platform, service or venue, whether physical or digital, for the purpose of facilitating betting or wagering on political outcomes. This section shall not apply to lawful political contributions, campaign financing or other activities expressly permitted under chapter 55.