In a climactic showdown that didn’t quite materialize, all the major names in online sports betting decided to skip a highly anticipated meeting in Massachusetts. The topic of discussion? Wagering limits imposed by bookmakers on their customers—specifically, limits for those who win too much or too cleverly. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) hosted a roundtable titled “Sports Wagering Operator Wager Limitations,” with the expectation that representatives from sportsbook operators would attend and provide insights into industry practices.
However, only one sportsbook operator, Bally Bet (which isn’t even live yet in the commonwealth), showed up. The absence of active operators, attributed to concerns about discussing confidential and proprietary risk management information, severely limited the discussion from the outset. Frustration and anger were palpable among some commissioners, who believe that operators have the right to limit bettors who try to circumvent the rules.
But their larger concern lies in restricting players who are genuinely skilled at wagering. The MGC operates under an open-meeting law in Massachusetts, which requires conducting as much business as possible in view of the public. While this sometimes leads to lengthy decision-making processes, it also means that operators may eventually have to explain themselves in a public setting.
Commissioner Nakisha Skinner expressed the hope that the discussion could continue in a format comfortable for operators while adhering to the open meeting law. She emphasized that there’s much more ground to cover: “Because I do think we have not scratched the surface. In order for us to even have future conversations among this body at a public meeting, there’s a lot of information that we just don’t have” .
Commissioner Bradford Hill shared Skinner’s frustration and added, “I will go so far as to say anger that I have today for not being able to get a lot of information that I thought we would be able to get today to start this conversation” .
