Massachusetts Regulator Fines Sportsbooks for Prohibited College Basketball Wagers
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has announced that it has fined all three of the state’s retail sports betting operators for accepting prohibited wagers on college basketball games that involved in-state teams.
Encore Sportsbook at Boston Harbor allowed customers to place wagers on the Boston College/Notre Dame women’s basketball game while MGM-Springfield took bets on the Harvard men’s basketball team. The sportsbook at Plainridge took in nearly $7,000 in bets on a Merrimack vs. Long Island University men’s game.
The transgressions were reported in February 2023 and, at that time, the MGC had deferred a decision on possible penalties as it awaited responses from MGM Springfield, Plainridge Park Casino, and Encore Boston Harbor.
That process has now come to an end and the MGC issued the following penalties to the sports betting operators:
- MGM Springfield fined $20,000
- Plainridge Park Casino fined $20,000
- Encore Boston Harbor fined $10,000
According to the report, MGM Springfield self reported accepting prohibited bets after finding that BetMGM had incorrectly classified Harvard as being located in Connecticut.
Plainridge Park Casino also cited issues with incorrect classification of teams as the reason for it accepting prohibited wagers. It stated that its vendor Kambi had incorrectly set Merrimack College as being located in Florida.
Meanwhile, Encore Boston Harbor self reported that it had accepted a wager on a Boston College women’s basketball game. The error was attributed to an incomplete prohibited wagering list. According to the operator, the list did not include all Boston College’s team names.
Jenny TangAn experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.
