Massachusetts Gaming Commission Cancels Meeting To Discuss Sports Betting Limits

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) had planned to host an agenda-setting meeting on Wednesday to discuss naming an official date for a second sports betting limits discussion. However, the MGC canceled the meeting on Tuesday. Operators told the MGC they would have appeared if it was operators-only.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission would have held a remote collaboration technology call-in on Wednesday

The MGC’s agenda-setting meeting would have been via a remote collaboration technology call-in, according to the press release. The date for a second sports betting limits discussion remains to be determined.

A date could be set at the MGC’s public meeting on Aug. 15 or its other agenda-setting meeting scheduled on Aug. 21.

The MGC hosted a roundtable discussion about sports betting limits in May, but the majority of industry-leading sports betting operators skipped the meeting. Bally Bet was the only operator to attend the first meeting.

Other betting giants, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, have already indicated their intent to participate in the second discussion. Operators will have to share enough information publicly for the conversation to be productive.

MGC plans to include gamblers’ perspectives in the discussion

DraftKings has said publicly that wagering limits affect less than 1% of bettors. Though, MGC Commissioner Nakisha Skinner requested more context to that data.

“I want to see case studies, if possible, around what those circumstances are. How did an individual come to be limited? Because we don’t know what’s out there,” Skinner said. “It’s all about transparency and fairness. What communication is provided to the bettor when they are limited?”

Commissioners also plan to include gamblers’ perspectives in the discussion. A few prominent bettors have vocally shared displeasure with major betting apps for placing specific wagering limits on them with minimal to no explanation as to why they’re being limited.

The MGC is optimistic that the next meeting will have increased transparency around the practice of limiting sports bettors. In a recent meeting, the commission indicated the potential passing of regulations to oversee the practice.