Massachusetts regulator fines three operators over sportsbook market breaches
BetMGM, Barstool, and WynnBet retail sportsbooks slapped with fines totaling $50,000 for offering bets on markets not approved by MGC
Officials from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) have issued fines totaling $50,000 to retail sportsbook operators BetMGM, Barstool Sportsbook, and WynnBet for offering bets on markets not approved for betting.
BetMGM and its retail sportsbook partner MGM Springfield, as well as Barstool Sportsbook and its retail partner the Plainridge Park Casino, were each fined $20,000, while WynnBet and the Encore Boston Harbor resort were issued with a fine of $10,000.
The trio took bets on Massachusetts college basketball games just after retail sports betting went live in the state on January 31, contravening state rules which bar operators from offering bets on college teams unless those teams are participating as part of a tournament with four or more participants.
In all three cases, the sportsbooks themselves reported the breaches, blaming administrative errors, removing the markets concerned, and refunding initial bets..
BetMGM’s retail sportsbook at the MGM Springfield casino allowed 28 wagers on two Harvard men’s basketball games after the location of the college was incorrectly entered as being in Connecticut and not Massachusetts, where betting on Harvard college games is prohibited.
The Plainridge Park Casino, operated by Barstool Sports, accepted 33 wagers on a game between Merrimack College and Long Island University in February.
Barstool attributed the incorrectly placed wagers to an error by its sportsbook technology supplier Kambi, which had incorrectly entered Merrimack College as being located in Florida, allowing the bets.
Kambi has since undertaken an audit to prevent a recurrence of the error, with the Barstool Sportsbook successfully migrating to in-house technology earlier this month.
In the case of the WynnBET sportsbook at the Encore Boston Harbor resort, a single illegal bet was taken on a women’s basketball game between Boston College and Notre Dame, in violation of state rules. This bet was voided before it could be settled.
In a separate hearing, the MGC scrutinized a report that DraftKings allowed betting on Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) events for an 11-day period in March, despite betting on those events being prohibited by the MGC.
DraftKings, which self-reported the illegal betting, confirmed the breach was down to a location-based error, which has since been rectified and the UTR markets removed.
A total of 864 wagers amounting to $7,867 were placed at events in Barcelona, Newport Beach, California, and Argentina. In all cases, wagers were voided, with winnings and losses credited back to player accounts.
The MGC did not issue a ruling on the DraftKings violation at the conclusion of its meeting.