Bill
S 238
Extends Massachusetts live and simulcast horse racing authorizations through Dec 15, 2026, with dark-day limits and NEHBPA/ federal compliance rules for simulcasts.
Status & procedural history
- Filed in the Massachusetts Senate (Senate Docket No. 2420) and introduced January 17–23, 2025 (presented by Senator Paul R. Feeney).
- Referred to relevant committees (Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure; Senate Ways & Means) with hearings and committee action noted in 2025.
- Effective change period created by the bill runs through December 15, 2026.
Note on source material
- The provided metadata contains inconsistent elements (a New York taxation-related title and sponsors from other jurisdictions). This summary is based on the bill text included in the docket (Massachusetts S.238), which concerns extending authorizations for live and simulcast horse racing in Massachusetts.
Purpose and intent
- To extend, by one year, statutory authorizations and expiration dates that govern live horse racing and simulcast wagering in Massachusetts — effectively maintaining the legal framework for racing operations through December 15, 2026 — and to clarify certain operational rules for an existing licensee in Suffolk County.
Key provisions
- Multiple statutory provisions across several prior acts (acts of 1978, 1986, 1991, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2015, and chapter 26 of the acts of 2023) are amended to replace expiration dates of “December 15, 2025” with “December 15, 2026,” thereby extending existing authorizations for live and simulcast racing activities.
- Section 16 repeals section 23 of chapter 26 of the acts of 2023.
- Special rule for a running race horse meeting licensee in Suffolk County (section 17):
- The licensee that conducted live racing in calendar year 2025 will remain licensed to conduct live racing and simulcast wagering through December 15, 2026.
- The days between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2026 are designated “dark days” under chapter 128C, meaning the licensee is precluded from conducting live racing during that period unless it obtains a supplemental live racing license.
- The licensee is prohibited from simulcasting or accepting wagers on greyhound (dog) racing on or after August 10, 2023.
- All simulcasts must comply with the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. §3001 et seq.) or other applicable federal law.
- Simulcasts from states whose racing associations do not meet certain Interstate Horse Racing Act approval requirements (15 U.S.C. §3004(a)(1)(A)) require approval by the New England Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association (NEHBPA) before being simulcast to licensees in the Commonwealth. If NEHBPA approves a simulcast for one meeting licensee, it must approve it for all otherwise eligible meeting licensees.
Who is affected
- Race meeting licensees and racetracks in Massachusetts (including the specified Suffolk County licensee).
- Horsemen’s associations (notably NEHBPA), which gain an oversight/approval role for certain out-of-state simulcasts.
- Bettors and simulcast wagering intermediaries (operations constrained by “dark day” rules and simulcast approval requirements).
- State regulatory agencies that oversee racing and wagering under chapters 128A/128C and related statutes.
- Potential indirect impacts on state and local revenues tied to pari-mutuel wagering and related economic activity.
Timing and fiscal considerations
- The statutory extensions set the next written expiration date to December 15, 2026.
- The bill does not specify new appropriations or explicit fiscal offsets; any revenue impact would come from continued authorization of wagering and the operational restrictions in section 17 (which could reduce or reallocate live race days and simulcast receipts). Fiscal effects would depend on how tracks and licensees schedule live meets and simulcasts under the “dark day” and approval constraints.
Practical effect
- Prevents an abrupt lapse of legal authority for live and simulcast horse racing that would have occurred on December 15, 2025 by extending multiple statutory expiration dates to December 15, 2026.
- Imposes procedural controls on simulcasting (federal compliance and NEHBPA approval) and limits live racing for the specified licensee unless supplementary licensing is obtained.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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