2 MA Sportsbooks Accepted 34 Illegal College Bets Worth Almost $7,000

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has called for an adjudicatory hearing due to two separate incidents in early February. In these incidents, Massachusetts sportsbooks mistakenly allowed betting on a Boston College women’s basketball game and a Merrimack College men’s basketball game.

In an upcoming hearing, the MGC will listen to witnesses and review evidence. Additionally, the sportsbooks, Encore Boston Harbor, and Plainridge Park Casino will have the opportunity to provide an explanation regarding the occurrence of unauthorized betting.

Since the state launched its legal markets last month, these are the first reported instances of sportsbooks violating gaming law by accepting wagers on regular season non-tournament collegiate athletics involving Massachusetts schools, which is prohibited under the MA sports betting law.

Both violations were self-reported by the casinos and lasted for a short duration of a few hours.

The Barstool Sportsbook at Plainridge Park Casino opened its doors on Feb. 2, offering bettors the opportunity to wager on a basketball game between Merrimack College and Long Island University. The betting window saw four bets placed by customers through a teller, while the majority of bets, totaling 33, were made using the convenient kiosk located within the casino. In total, the bets amounted to $6,848, with PPC paying out $4,270 in winnings.

Additionally, on February 2nd, the WynnBET Sportsbook at Encore Boston Harbor provided the opportunity for betting on a women’s basketball match between Boston College and Notre Dame, scheduled to take place later that evening. The BC game was made available for approximately five hours until 5:35 p.m. However, only a single bet was placed on the game, forming part of a parlay. Recognizing the error promptly, EBH voided the leg of the parlay that included the BC game. It has been reported that the wager held the potential to win $70.

ADDITIONAL NEWS FROM MGC: Sports Betting Permissible in Massachusetts Within a 3-Mile Distance from the Shoreline

The preliminary investigation into the incidents was conducted by the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB), which is a division of the MGC. The main focus of the IEB is to uphold the integrity of gaming operations in Massachusetts.

How Did These Errors Happen?

The PPC incident involved a teller, also referred to as a “writer” in the sports betting field, who reported an instance of unauthorized betting. This occurred when they became aware that the game featuring Merrimack, situated in Andover, should not have been made available for wagering.

The sportsbook manager at Plainridge Park Casino, Ryan Blake, clarified that the mistake happened when their system wrongly assigned Florida as the school state for Merrimack instead of Massachusetts. This error facilitated the game to bypass their compliance filters. As soon as the officials at PPC were informed about the error, they promptly rectified it within a span of 10 minutes.

No suspicious activity was found in the accepted bets, and Blake informed the IEB about the implementation of a new policy. The sportsbook operators have introduced a blacklist and an extra filter specifically for Massachusetts games. These additional measures ensure that the exclusion of those games from odds offerings is not solely dependent on the state.

“Blake informed us that we have given a list of Massachusetts schools that need to be excluded from regular season games. This list has been shared with all PPC staff, and we have emphasized that accepting unauthorized bets may result in disciplinary measures.”

PPC additionally instructs shift managers to verify the list on a daily basis and provide their signature as confirmation.

Will the launch strategy of Massachusetts sportsbooks, whether staggered or universal, have any significant impact? Find out more.

What Comes Next?

Chair Cathy Judd-Stein led the MGC commissioners in discussing the subsequent actions to be taken in light of the incidents. Judd-Stein requested the IEB to present cases from other states as examples of how they have dealt with comparable situations.

Heather Hall, the MGC’s chief enforcement counsel and assistant director, pointed out that other states have imposed fines ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for similar incidents. However, she emphasized the challenge of making a direct comparison as her research did not specify if these fines were for initial or repeat offenses.

The MGC engaged in constructive debate when they discussed and deliberated on the best course of action to address the reported incidents.

Commissioner Nakisha Skinner expressed her desire for the IEB to continue their work, as they had valuable insights on how other states penalized operators. However, the MGC concluded that an adjudicatory hearing was necessary.

In accordance with the aforementioned procedure, the MGC has the option to seek assistance from the IEB if necessary, in order to conduct independent hearings where EBH and PPC would have the opportunity to provide explanations regarding the unauthorized wagering. These hearings may be conducted in the presence of the public or privately. Depending on the findings, disciplinary measures such as fines or suspensions may be imposed.

MGM Springfield Accepts Illegal College Bets

MGM Springfield’s BetMGM Massachusetts has self-reported a third case of unauthorized betting.

Over the weekend, Bruce Band, the director of sports wagering at MGC, announced that MGM Springfield had taken bets on a basketball game in Massachusetts. He mentioned two Harvard games against Yale (Feb. 3) and Brown (Feb. 4), without specifying whether it was men’s or women’s basketball, as both teams competed against the same opponents on the same days.

The band has stated that there is an ongoing investigation.