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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios Nearly two-dozen companies have expressed interest in a temporary online sports betting license in Massachusetts, confirming suspicions that regulators will have their plates full as they review applications and roll out the industry by March.
Driving the news: Regulators gave prospective applicants until Oct. 17 to fill out a "scoping survey" to indicate their interest in the license.
Of note: The state's three casinos and two simulcasting centers put their names in for in-person licenses, as did the Great Meadowbrook Farm.
Why it matters: Massachusetts is still months away from sports betting going live, but the larger the pool of applicants for the online (Category 3) license, the harder it will be for regulators to vet them and issue the winners temporary licenses by their self-imposed deadline.
Catch up fast: Regulators set a tentative rollout deadline for in-person betting (e.g. casinos, simulcastors) in late January and online betting in early March in time for the Super Bowl and the NCAA tournament, respectively.
What they're saying: "If all 29 are actually going to submit, we may want to have a conversation about how long that's going to take and our resources," said Karen Wells, Massachusetts Gaming Commission's executive director, at Thursday's meeting, per the State House News Service .
Details: The prospective applicants for online licenses range from Boston-based DraftKings to Mohegan Digital and BetMGM to Betr (the startup YouTuber Jake Paul co-founded).
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