The Montana Lottery is now accepting licence applications from businesses looking to offer the lottery’s new sports betting product, Sports Bet Montana.
The licensing process has kicked off after the state’s sports wagering rules were published in the Montana Administrative Register last week, having been approved by the Montana Lottery Commission in November.
“Today is a big day for Sports Bet Montana,” Montana Lottery director Angela Wong said. “We’ve been working a long time for this and we’re excited to see that hard work pay off and excited to start the process of launching sports betting.”
The rules approved in November state that players can only place bets at licensed Sports Bet Montana locations. While they will be able to view upcoming events odds and bets available via a mobile app, they will only be able to place bets within licensed premises, either via their phones or at a kiosk.
Mobile customers must sign up for a betting account, while retail punters will have to verify their identity before they can place a bet.
The regulations provide for a voluntary self-exclusion program, as well as the option to set personal deposit, spending and time limits. Players must be aged 18 or above to place a bet. Under the regulations, any accounts which do not place a bet for 18 months must be closed.
Lottery sales agents must pay a $50 license fee as part of the application process, after which they will be eligible for a commission of 6% of the value of the wagers placed at their establishment, with bonuses and incentives for those that hit certain sales targets.
The lottery described the licensing process as the first stage in Sports Bet Montana’s roll-out. Once it has issued licenses, it will begin retailer training, which will be followed by the roll-out of the Sports Bet Montana hardware.