Massachusetts regulators are putting the finishing touches on rules that will govern online sports betting sites in the Bay State.
Members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) met Wednesday for one of the few remaining get-togethers they will have before the scheduled launch of online sportsbooks in the state on Friday.
One matter they addressed was tweaking a rule allowing the regulator or operators to ban people from Massachusetts sports betting for certain reasons, such as previous violation of gaming laws or “a notorious or unsavory reputation” that could undermine the public’s trust.
“This regulation is being proposed for emergency adoption to ensure that it is in effect before mobile sports wagering launches,” a memo to the commissioners noted.
Rules are rules
A similar list of excluded customers already exists for casinos and approximately 58 people are on it, the MGC heard. The tool is now to be used in connection with online sports betting.
“Most of the changes to the regulation incorporate sports wagering into the regulation’s existing framework for exclusion,” the memo said. “An individual can be added to the list for misconduct in either sphere, and individuals on the list must be both physically excluded from casinos and prevented from placing sports wagers through a mobile or digital platform.”
The MGC approved the amended regulation, albeit with a waiver permitting operators a bit more time to submit written policies for complying with the exclusion list program.
“I think all of us have stressed how important it is to make sure that those who may not wager, who are not eligible to wager, cannot wager,” MGC Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said during Wednesday’s meeting.
The MGC tackled other rules on Wednesday as well. The reviews are among the last steps regulators will take before March 10, the date the MGC has circled for the start of mobile sports betting in the state.
Legal sports betting began in Massachusetts on January 31, when three casinos began taking action. But based on the work of the MGC and what operators are saying, at around 10 a.m. ET on Friday, as many as six online sportsbooks could go live in Massachusetts. They are:
Betr was expected to be among the sportsbooks launching on the first day of mobile wagering, but Judd-Stein said Wednesday that the microbetting-focused firm would not do so.
"At Betr, it is our priority to give our users the best possible experience while using our app," the company said in a statment to Covers. "As we continue to work to ensure we can deliver that in Massachusetts, we now plan on launching sometime over the next month, rather than this Friday. We want to thank the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for all of their hard work and collaboration. This is an important milestone for us and we can’t wait to bring our differentiated product experience to sports fans throughout the state."
Time was also spent Wednesday addressing the house rules of bookmakers, which bettors could turn to if they have questions about how certain wagers are settled. That included a discussion about whether an operator can round the number of cents paid to a bettor. According to the commission, the only way operators can round is up.
“The patron is entitled to every cent of their winnings,” Commissioner Nakisha Skinner said.
Commissioners, however, got bogged down in discussing “obvious errors” that could allow bookmakers to void a bet or correct its pricing. Some of the more subjective criteria raised eyebrows on the MGC, with the work on house rules to continue on Thursday.
