Massachusetts Gaming Commission to Hold Public Meeting on Player Limits with Sports Betting Operators

21.06.2024

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has announced that all seven of the state’s legal sports betting operators will attend a public meeting to discuss player limits. This comes a month after most operators failed to attend a similar roundtable discussion on the same issue.

Change of Heart from Operators

Commissioner Nakisha Skinner expressed skepticism regarding the operators’ last-minute willingness to participate publicly.

Skinner questioned the sincerity of this newfound openness and emphasized the need for the meeting to be substantive rather than a formality.

Last month’s roundtable, intended to address the practice of limiting bettors, saw only Bally Bet in attendance. The other operators — DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, ESPN BET, Fanatics Sportsbook, and Bally Bet — had requested the discussion be held in a closed-door executive session, which the MGC declined.

This resulted in frustration among commissioners, who perceived the absence as a slight against the panel.

Operators’ Commitment to Transparency

Interim Chair Jordan Maynard reported that operators have expressed their willingness to educate commissioners about player limits.

However, some board members, including Commissioner Eileen O’Brien, remain cautious and stress the importance of ensuring the discussions are productive and informative.

O’Brien suggested incorporating this topic into a regular MGC meeting agenda to involve industry experts who participated previously.

A critical issue has been the lack of understanding about the factors that influence player limits set by sportsbooks. It remains unclear why certain thresholds are established or how these limits can be adjusted.

DraftKings previously stated that its absence from the initial roundtable was due to concerns about protecting sensitive business information.