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Mass. will allow Super Bowl coin toss prop bets after MGC commissioner says he was heckled
Mass. Gaming Commissioner Brad Hill, who motioned for Thursday's vote, noted that he had been heckled about allowing coin toss prop bets while refereeing a recent basketball game.
Mass. Gaming Commission enables Super Bowl coin toss-related prop bets: While sports betting has been legal in Massachusetts for two years, certain types of bets have remained illegal according to state rules. One of those on the outlawed list was prop bets pertaining to the Super Bowl coin toss.
While not the most riveting type of gambling — it’s a random bet that’s decided before the game even begins — it’s a subject that’s drawn the attention of the Mass. Gaming Commission before. In 2024, the commission voted 3-2 against allowing coin toss-related prop bets.
But after taking up the issue again on Thursday after a motion made by commissioner Brad Hill, the commission voted 3-2 in favor of allowing the niche form of gambling. The result means that prop bets can now include:
- The outcome of the heads or tails call of the coin toss
- Which team will win the coin toss
- Whether the winner of the coin toss will win the game
- Whether the visiting team correctly calls the result of the toss
Commissioners Eileen O’Brien and Nakisha Skinner voted against, with Hill and commission chair Jordan Maynard voting in favor. The deciding vote in favor was cast by ex-Melrose mayor Paul Brodeur, who replaced Cathy Judd-Stein on the commission since the last vote (Judd-Stein voted against in 2024).
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While the subset of coin toss prop bets may literally be low stakes — O’Brien reasoned that she isn’t “particularly convinced it’s going to drive up revenue” — the even odds on the coin toss bet was cited as a benign factor.
“My sense is that it is very safe, not something that can be gamed,” Brodeur noted.
Hill offered the most colorful reasoning, explaining that he had been heckled on the subject while working his part-time role on the weekends as a basketball referee.
“Usually when you’re running up and down the court, you’re getting yelled at because you made a bad call,” he said, per a transcription from Colin A. Young of State House News Service. “Well, a couple of weeks ago, I was running up and down the court and someone yelled from the stands, ‘Are we going to be able to bet on the coin flip at the Super Bowl?’ So I stopped immediately, looked right at him, and he was as serious as serious could be.
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“I couldn’t believe that I would be in my referee clothes and they would recognize me as a commissioner,” Hill admitted. “And then only a few days later, I went to a local watering hole down in Ipswich, and I wasn’t even in there five minutes, and another patron came and asked the very same question, if they would be able to bet on the coin toss.”
Sports betting in Mass. has continued to be a lucrative industry. According to MGC stats, bettors wagered $788,340,996 in Dec. of 2024 alone.
Trivia: LeBron James became just the second quadragenarian in NBA history to score 40 or more points in a game. Can you name the other?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He won two gold medals for Team USA at the Olympics.
Scores and schedules:
The Celtics lost to the Mavericks 127-120 on Thursday. Boston will play the Knicks in New York on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
Also tomorrow, the Bruins host the Golden Knights at 3:30 p.m.
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The MVP presentation: Bills quarterback Josh Allen narrowly defeated Lamar Jackson for the league’s most prestigious individual award.
Brad Stevens’ trade deadline press conference: The Celtics executive gave his thoughts on where the defending champions are at.
On this day: In 1973, the Celtics defeated the Lakers 113-112 thanks to some heroics from John Havlicek in overtime. Dave Cowens led Boston with 34 points, 17 rebounds, and eight assists. Havlicek totaled 30 points of his own (along with eight rebounds and nine assists). In addition, Paul Silas pulled down 19 rebounds as the Celtics moved to 44-11 on the season.
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The Bruins also won, defeating the North Stars 3-2 thanks to two Wayne Cashman goals and one from Phil Esposito.
Daily highlight: Fairfield stunned Marist with an improbable buzzer-beater on Thursday.
GAME-WINNER FROM 70-FEET AT THE BUZZER 🤯
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 7, 2025
FAIRFIELD TAKES DOWN MARIST WITH A SHOT FROM BEYOND HALF COURT‼️ #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/itUiOwBKZT
Trivia answer: Michael Jordan
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