DraftKings wants clarification on Russian, Belarusian betting restrictions in Mass.

A major sportsbook in Massachusetts asked state regulators to clarify a wagering prohibition on Russian or Belarusian players who are competing under a neutral flag, and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission plans to dive into the topic at a hearing Thursday morning.

DraftKings brought up the issue after the Gaming Commission approved a sports wagering catalog that bars betting on “any sports or sporting event overseen by Russian or Belarusian governing bodies, leagues, events and players.” Mobile betting launched on March 10.

A number of sportsbooks, including DraftKings, barred betting on sports leagues or events in Russia and Belarus in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Gaming Commission took a similar approach at the end of January, implementing a prohibition also in response to the war, a commission spokesperson said.

“Lastly, for the Russian and Belarus directive, we wanted to confirm that we may offer wagers (e.g. Tennis and MMA) on Russian players competing under a neutral flag,” DraftKings wrote to commissioners, according to a March 17 letter authored by Gaming Commission Sports Wagering Operations Manager Sterl Carpenter.

A DraftKings spokesman said the company is only looking for clarification on the Gaming Commission’s regulations, not staking out a new position on geopolitics.

DraftKings, according to the letter, pointed to regulations in Colorado, where sportsbooks cannot offer wagers on players from other countries who play under the affiliation of Russian or Belarusian governing bodies, leagues, teams or events.

“Conversely, Russian and/or Belarussian [sic] players who participate in sports for, governing bodies, leagues, teams (professional or amateur) or in events in other countries outside of Russia or Belarus shall be permissible wager offerings,” DraftKings said of the rules in Colorado.

Carpenter wrote that sportsbooks and the commission’s legal department “are asking for greater clarity and a possible change in language to reflect a prohibition on Russian and Belarussian [sic] governing bodies statement,” the letter said.

If commissioners intended to place the restriction on just the countries and governing bodies and not the specific athletes who might be from those countries, Carpenter suggested a change in regulatory language.

“Any events or leagues overseen by Russian and Belarussian [sic] governing bodies are not allowed to be offered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” the suggested language read. “Any athlete competing in an approved event or league representing Russia or Belarus would not be eligible for wagering. If an athlete from Russia or Belarus is competing in an approved event outside of these countries and not representing them, wagering on these athletes would be permitted.”

In March 2022, DraftKings announced it would no longer offer wagering on sports leagues and events in Russia and Belarus, such as the Russian Kontinental Hockey League.

The company spokesman confirmed those policies are still in effect.