Massachusetts Regulator Tables Decision On Betr, WynnBET Exits

Online sports betting platforms Betr and WynnBET likely won’t be able to exit Massachusetts as quickly as they had hoped, as the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Thursday opted to table discussion on the requests after more than an hour of questions on Betr’s application.

The two digital sportsbooks were requesting to unwind operations in the Bay State as early as Feb. 16. Operators are required to give 90 days notice to take down a platform, unless the commission allows a shortened timeframe.

Betr was hoping to take down its platform on Feb. 16 and WynnBET was aiming for Feb. 23. The requests were the first of their kind in the state and there were myriad questions around bonuses, deposits, returning funds to consumers, and other issues that Betr and the commission tried to work through.

The ultimate decision, at the suggestion of Chair Cathy Judd-Stein, was to abandon the conversation on both operators’ requests and instead set meetings with staff to work through the issues before the requests were brought back to the MGC. WynnBET did not have a chance to discuss its situation with the MGC.

Super Bowl props among bets not approved

The commission also ruled on whether to allow certain new betting markets and how to handle wagering violations by BetMGM, Fanatics Sportsbook, and MGM Springfield.

Fanatics Sportsbook requested, and the commission granted, the addition of wagering on the new Professional Women’s Hockey League, which debuted in the fall of 2023. The league has six teams, three each in the U.S. and Canada, including one based in Boston.

The commission denied or delayed decision on requests from Fanatics Sportsbook to add markets for several other bets, including what it called “Player X Next Team” and “X Team’s Next Head Coach,” as well as whether or not to allow betting on several Super Bowl prop bets, including the length the national anthem, the opening coin toss, and what color Gatorade might be poured on the winning coach.

With regard to the proposal to add betting around what team a free agent might be playing for at the start of a new season, Commissioner Brad Hill said he didn’t feel the request was “ready for prime time” and that he was not comfortable with voting Thursday.

BetMGM violation involved 15,000 wagers

On the violations front, the MGC determined how to handle violations by three different operators, all related to college props or bets on Massachusetts college teams playing at home, both of which are illegal in the state.

The state’s unique college wagering rules have caused issues for operators almost from launch. The commission has fined all three of the state’s retail casinos for missteps, and there are several other infractions by digital platforms that the commission has not yet made determinations about.

The Massachusetts #Gaming Commission on Tuesday issued a $20,000 fine to Plainridge Park Casino in #Plainville for offering betting on an unauthorized event involving a Massachusetts collegiate team not involved in a collegiate tournament. https://t.co/hwBK4oaShT pic.twitter.com/drOgElbt8K

— The Sun Chronicle (@TheSunChronicle) July 25, 2023

During an audit, the regulator discovered that BetMGM had allowed “more than 15,000” prop bets on college athletes totaling “more than $200,000” in handle. All of the wagers, which occurred throughout college basketball season, were part of same-game parlays.

Because the violation was discovered by MGC staff and due to the volume and amount wagered, the commission decided to hold an adjudicatory hearing on the issue. No date has been set, but penalties could include a fine or license suspension. The infraction is by far the biggest discovered in just under 11 months since launch.

The commission decided to send violations by Fanatics Sportsbook and MGM Springfield to the Investigations Enforcement Bureau. Fanatics self-reported that it allowed a bet on a Boston University men’s basketball game as part of a $2 parlay that was a loser before the bet in question came into play, and MGM Springfield self-reported a “less-than-$10 bet” on a Northeastern University men’s basketball game that was also part of a parlay that was a loser before the bet came into play.

New Investigations director named

The MGC was unable to make its way all the way through a stacked agenda, choosing to delay discussion or presentations on several items, including changes to its data privacy rules, which operators say are in need of an overhaul.

And on Wednesday, the MGC elevated Caitlin Monahan, its deputy general counsel, to head of the Investigations Enforcement Bureau. That spot was vacated last summer when Loretta Lilios left. The commission is still in the process of replacing former executive director Karen Wells, who also left last summer.