Harvard University, and six other schools in Massachusetts, want betting on collegiate sports events postponed. The house bill allowing legalised gambling was suspended last July due to the Senate’s disapproval of the bill, however, It’s now back on the agenda for review.

Massachusetts currently relies on offshore operators, however full legalisation of regulated sports betting is imminent. The state has struggled financially due to the pandemic, and the revenue from regulated gambling will help to replenish their finances.

The university bodies have united in the hope of preventing collegiate sports from being included in the impending legislation which will allow total legal sports betting in the state. The group of seven universities penned a joint letter to the lawmakers last Friday, in the hope of convincing them to omit college-level sporting events from the new legislation.

The Senate agreed with the universities ’sentiments that legalising collegiate sports would put the student-athlete sunder grave risks which would also compromise the culture and integrity of the commonwealth schools.

Supporters of the bill claim there is no evidence to support these claims, as is the case with the sports betting as a whole.

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