The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has set a date of September 11th to discuss bettor’s playing limits with representatives from all of the sportsbooks operating in the Bay State.
It’s a Date
A meeting had been previously set back in May by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to discuss the reasons and protocols behind the state’s sportsbooks curbing players’ betting limits, but none of the state’s active sports betting operators chose to attend the public forum discussion.
Needless to say, their absences did not go unnoticed and were met with derision by the state’s regulators. The regulatory agency did not let go of the request and set a deadline of early October to revisit the controversial topic. That schedule has been moved up to September 11th, when all of the state’s sportsbooks are expected to attend.
The consternation among some bettors is what appears to be an arbitrary and capricious reduction of their betting limits by the sportsbooks that service the Bay State. Sportsbooks are allowed to place maximum betting limits on events that can vary depending on the sport and the type of wager. However, some bettors are claiming that their maximums are reduced below what the standard maximums allow for all other bettors.
Some have insisted that winning bettors are being unfairly singled out, and even those who have historically lost money with the sportsbook are also being limited if they happen to go on a hot streak. The public wants answers, and so too does the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
“I expect every operator will engage in this conversation with us,” MGC interim chair Jordan Maynard said last month. “Not hope, expect.”
What’s the Issue?
Sportsbooks have stated in unison that they are reluctant to publicly discuss their risk-management protocols as they involve proprietary information. But because the MGC is obliged to conduct most of its business in the open under the open-meeting rules for public agencies, these cannot be backroom discussions, which is why the sports betting operators decided to avoid the first meeting, hoping the topic would go away.
However, that was certainly not the case, as their absences caused a furor among the MGC, and the commission members were not shy about sharing their frustration with the public snub.
The cause for concern is that the MGC fears that bettors who have their maximum limits reduced will eschew the domestic market and begin wagering with offshore sportsbooks that do not pay taxes on their revenues to the state.
“Some claim they were not in violation of house rules, state laws or regulations, or other authorized acts when they were limited. It was the understanding of the MGC team that operators have the right to limit their risk by blocking those attempting to circumvent the rules. If a player is violating rules, laws, or regulations, they should not be welcome to access a market,” Interim Chair Maynard said. “That said, many at the MGC, myself included, were wondering if there were patrons who were wagering honestly who were being limited.”
“There is a worry that if we have operators limiting patrons who are playing by the rules, that limitation will naturally incentivize those players to turn to the illegal market,” he said.
It is safe to say that all regulators will be in attendance on September 11th, and the commission members expect a frank discussion.
“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.
