Massachusetts Gaming Commission Laws & Regulations

Massachusetts Gaming Commission to Look into DraftKings Betting Violation

By Lisa Spencer Senior Editor Updated: 03 June 2023

Lisa Spencer Senior Editor

As a Senior Editor at Betting.US, Lisa Spencer is a valuable member of our expert team. With a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics, Lisa is adept in gambling theory and analyzing odds. She contributes by writing online sportsbook reviews and finding competitive markets to help our readers make an informed choice.

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It has been revealed that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will be looking into unauthorized wagers taken by the prominent sportsbook operator DraftKings.

According to reports, commission members have been left frustrated by the violations in relation to betting on the UTR Pro Tennis matches that were held in March.

Earlier this week, officials from the gaming commission voiced their concerns, although no penalty was issued at the time.

It was confirmed, however, that a hearing about the violations will be held in the future, and this is in the hope of finding out more about what led to the violations and how the errors occurred. No date has been set for a hearing as yet, but this is expected to be announced in due course.

During the meeting, a number of officials from the commission expressed their frustration over what had happened. They said that it was vital that this sort of practice was tackled swiftly and that operators realized that these matters will be taken seriously and dealt with accordingly.

Self-Reported Violations

It was confirmed that the violations relating to taking unauthorized bets on the tennis matches were self-reported by DraftKings. According to reports, commission officials were surprised that the leading operator had accepted bets on a market that does not have MGC approval.

The data shows that the operator allowed wagering on the pro tennis matches between 10-22 March this year. It did this without first checking whether there was official approval for bets to be accepted on the league. The operator is said to have taken wagers on tennis matches totaling close to $8,000.

After the meeting earlier this week, Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said:

I get a little frustrated when I see, ‘Well, we just copied from somebody else, and didn’t check the book in Massachusetts.’ I don’t know whether that was benign neglect or whether that was something else.

According to reports, the MGC commissioners did initially consider passing the case onto the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau at the agency in order to deal with investigations and penalties. However, it was then decided to handle it more publicly in a bid to ensure other operators did not make the same errors and oversights.

MGC chair Cathy Judd-Stein said that the MGC had to ensure that this sort of practice did not continue and that she was frustrated about what had happened. She added that operators needed to know that this was the sort of thing the commission takes very seriously, hence the decision to tackle the issue publicly.

Commissioners Warned Operators of Consequences for Violations

Mobile sports betting went live in the state in the early part of March. Commissioners made it clear even before the launch that any violations from operators would be taken very seriously. This followed violations that took place in Ohio when it launched earlier this year.

While the violations were reported to the commission by DraftKings, the matter will still need to be investigated and action will then be taken accordingly.