Unauthorized College Betting at Massachusetts Casinos Costs $50,000 in Fines
Massachusetts Gaming Authority Penalizes Casinos for Illegitimate Wagers on College Sports Events
Casinos owned by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission have faced the consequences for getting caught up in unauthorized college sports betting. These incidents occurred when sports betting first became legal in the state.
Tailored Punishments for Individual Infractions
The Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville received a fine of $20,000 for accepting wagers on a men's basketball game between Merrimack College and Long Island University. Similarly, MGM Springfield was fined the same amount for providing betting opportunities on regular-season Harvard men's basketball games. Encore Boston Harbor in Everett was slapped with a $10,000 fine for accepting wagers on a regular-season game involving the Boston College women's basketball team.
Massachusetts Wagering Regulations Explained
By law, betting on games that feature Massachusetts universities is illegal unless these games are part of a tournament involving at least four teams[3]. Each of these events was deemed a significant violation of the law, regulations, and the Massachusetts Sports Wagering Catalog by the Gaming Commission. The penalties serve as a deterrent for future offenses and a punishment for breaking the law.
The Fine Amounts and Their Reasons
The precise circumstances of each event are what determine the various fines. In Plainridge Park Casino's case, the sportsbook took 33 bets amounting to $6,848 on an illegal Merrimack game which was erroneously listed as taking place in Florida[4]. MGM Springfield took $1,230 in wagers due to the Cambridge university being mistakenly listed as a Connecticut college in two Harvard games[4].
Encore Boston Harbor's Infractions
One single $70 wager was placed on an illegal Boston College women's basketball game within Encore Boston Harbor, as part of a five-game parlay. Before the game even started, Encore swiftly voided the BC leg of the parlay. Another alleged infraction involving more illicit wagers on BC women's basketball was not discussed during the current hearings[4].
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It's important to note that, under current regulations, betting on games involving Massachusetts universities is allowed, but there are ongoing efforts to tighten rules around sports betting in general[5][6]. Age requirement for sports betting in Massachusetts is 21 years or older[1]. Additionally, regulated betting companies are mandated to address problematic betting behavior[1]. The "Bettor Health Act" is one such proposal aimed at imposing stricter limits and raising taxes on betting platforms, but it does not specifically target bets on Massachusetts university games[2].
[1] Massachusetts Gaming Commission. (2021). Betting on Sports in Massachusetts: A Guide. Retrieved from https://www.massgaming.com/media/1894972/booklet_betting_on_sports_in_massachusetts_jan_2021.pdf
[2] Greene, C. (2021, January 14). Massachusetts Senate advances bill to raise taxes on sports betting, crack down on problem gambling. The Boston Globe. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/14/metro/massachusetts-senate-advances-bill-raise-taxes-sports-betting-crack-down-problem-gambling/
[3] Massachusetts General Laws Ch. 23K, § 6(a).
[4] Asparouhov, M. (2021, September 7). Three Massachusetts Casinos Fined for Participating in Unauthorized College Sports Betting. Boston Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2021/09/07/massachusetts-casinos-fined-unauthorized-college-sports-betting/
[5] Massachusetts Gaming Commission. (2021). College Sports Betting. Retrieved from https://www.massgaming.com/otb/college-sports-betting/
[6] Massachusetts Legislature. (2021). H. 2642: An Act Establishing the Commission to Study Gaming and Sports Wagering in the Commonwealth. Retrieved from https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H2642
- The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has penalized casinos for unauthorized college betting, a practice that was prevalent when sports betting was newly legalized in the state.
- In Plainville, Plainridge Park Casino was fined $20,000 for accepting wagers on a Merrimack College basketball game.
- MGM Springfield was fined the same amount for offering betting opportunities on regular-season Harvard men's basketball games.
- Encore Boston Harbor was fined $10,000 for accepting wagers on a game involving the Boston College women's basketball team.
- By law, betting on games featuring Massachusetts universities is illegal unless they are part of a tournament with at least four teams.
- These violations were deemed significant by the Gaming Commission and the penalties serve as a deterrent for future offenses.
- The Plainridge Park Casino took 33 bets amounting to $6,848 on an Merrimack game erroneously listed as Floridian.
- MGM Springfield took $1,230 in wagers due to Harvard being mistakenly listed as a Connecticut college in two games.
- Encore Boston Harbor voided a $70 wager on an illegal BC women's basketball game before it started.
- There are ongoing efforts to tighten rules around sports betting in Massachusetts.
- The age requirement for sports betting in Massachusetts is 21 years or older.
- Regulated betting companies are mandated to address problematic betting behavior.
- The "Bettor Health Act" aims to impose stricter limits and raise taxes on betting platforms, but does not target bets on Massachusetts university games specifically.
- Under current regulations, betting on games involving Massachusetts universities is allowed but subject to potential rule changes.
- Wealth management, lifestyle, and personal finance can all benefit from responsible investing in the growing world of finance and technology.
- Data and cloud computing, an essential part of modern technology, is a booming business in Massachusetts.
- Travel, shopping, and casino-and-gambling are popular leisure activities in the Massachusetts lifestyle.
- Sports-betting trends, such as sports like football, baseball, hockey, golf, basketball, racing, tennis, mixed-martial-arts, and sports-analysis have gained traction in Las Vegas and other major gambling destinations.
