After more than a year of back and forth, Massachusetts lawmakers have finalized a deal to legalize sports betting in the state. Should the law go into effect, it seems Boston.com readers will be first in line to place their bets.

Before the state legislature announced the agreement, we asked readers if they thought Massachusetts would benefit from legalized sports betting, and a majority of the 501 readers who responded to the poll said yes. Currently, sports betting is illegal in Massachusetts, but that hasn’t stopped readers from crossing state lines to make their bets.

In another poll, 87% of the 1,245 respondents said they leave Massachusetts to place bets and would continue to do so if legalization doesn’t go into effect. To most readers, it only makes sense that Massachusetts should benefit from residents’ interest in betting.