Massachusetts Set for Another Public Q&A on Sports Bettor Limiting

The upcoming meeting will be another attempt by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to hear publicly from sportsbook operators and bettors about the contentious subject of wagering restrictions for players.

Geoff Zochodne - Senior News Analyst at Covers.com
Geoff Zochodne • Senior News Analyst
Sep 4, 2024 • 13:01 ET • 2 min read
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Get your popcorn ready.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has set Sept. 11 as the date for its next meeting dedicated to the limiting of sports bettors.

Next Wednesday’s get-together will be another attempt by the regulator to hear publicly from sportsbook operators and bettors about wagering restrictions for players, a contentious subject that will ensure the meeting is closely followed. 

A roundtable on limiting in May attracted several participants, but none represented active sportsbook operators in Massachusetts. Those companies cited concerns about openly discussing their risk-management practices as a reason for skipping the meeting, claiming those tactics can be confidential and proprietary.

Yet the absences irked commissioners, and the MGC hasn’t dropped the subject since, as the regulators want answers from operators in a public setting. The MGC is required to do most of its business out in the open under the commonwealth's open-meeting rules for public bodies.

This time around, the MGC expects all of the active Massachusetts sports betting bookmakers to participate. The regulators have also said they will take steps to ensure the conversation remains civil, such as by splitting the meeting up into operator and player segments.

“I'm not interested in having another roundtable just to have the operators come before us to say they can't talk,” commissioner Nakisha Skinner said during a meeting last month.

The MGC won’t be the only one interested in a fulsome discussion. There are plenty of players — although exactly how many is unclear — who may be limited and want to know more about their situation. Other regulators may tune in as well, to see if there’s anything that could apply to their jurisdictions. 

How low can you go

Operators have provided some responses to the MGC on limiting thus far, albeit not during a public meeting for all to hear and see. 

Limiting “is both a risk-management practice and a fair play business practice,” was one point made to MGC staff, with operators adding that many limited players “are not your common customer.”

The operators also communicated that “[a]cross the board, a very low percentage of players are limited.” 

Those responses may not sit right with players. However, more specific figures could come to light next week when commissioners have a chance to ask questions of their own. 

“I expect every operator will engage in this conversation with us,” MGC interim chair Jordan Maynard said last month. “Not hope, expect.”

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Geoff Zochodne, Covers Sports Betting Journalist
Senior News Analyst

Geoff has been writing about the legalization and regulation of sports betting in Canada and the United States for more than three years. His work has included coverage of launches in New York, Ohio, and Ontario, numerous court proceedings, and the decriminalization of single-game wagering by Canadian lawmakers. As an expert on the growing online gambling industry in North America, Geoff has appeared on and been cited by publications and networks such as Axios, TSN Radio, and VSiN. Prior to joining Covers, he spent 10 years as a journalist reporting on business and politics, including a stint at the Ontario legislature. More recently, Geoff’s work has focused on the pending launch of a competitive iGaming market in Alberta, the evolution of major companies within the gambling industry, and efforts by U.S. state regulators to rein in offshore activity and college player prop betting.

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