MA Seeks Explanation on Betting Limits
Gaming Commission Concerned With Limiting Winning Bettors
Sportsbook operators in Massachusetts are likely to have to explain some operating procedures soon. Those that deal with the maximum bets allowed for certain bettors will be front and center. MA seeks explanation on betting limits and wants to know why winning bettors can see their wager size reduced. There is also concern on the part of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission about why losing bettors are targeted and encouraged to bet.
The commission met last week to discuss, “Sports Wagering Operator Wager Limitations.” The commission discussed how the sportsbooks can set arbitrary limits on individual bettors. Those who earn long-term profits through their expert picks are going to have lower limits than somebody who consistently loses. That doesn’t necessarily sit well with the commission.
“We did get some outreach, just so the public knows, through emails,” interim MGC chair Jordan Maynard said the MGC meeting. “And there were several folks who said, ‘Hey, I’m betting pennies when I’m putting in the bet.’ And so, what’s the notification? If you’re turning off a winning wagerer, are you turning off a losing wagerer?”
Commissioner Eileen O’Brien is another in the MA seeks explanation on betting limits crowd who had questions.
“Their house rules talk very vaguely about management at their sole discretion,” she said. “What I’m curious to know as a commissioner is what’s the basis for that?”
Not everyone will be satisfied with the answers given to the MA seeks explanation on betting limits question. However, any discussion on the matter is seen as a good thing.
Limiting Customers Within Sportsbook Rights
The way the regulations are written, an online sportsbook has the right to set limits on individual bettors. That right is spelled out in the statute, “Minimum and Maximum Wagers: Additional Wagering Requirements.”
“Unless otherwise directed by the Commission, there is no limitation as to the minimum or maximum wager a Sports Wagering Operator may accept,” the statute reads. “This rule does not preclude a Sports Wagering Operator from establishing its own minimum or maximum wagers, or limiting a patron’s Sports Wager for reasons considered necessary or appropriate by the Sports Wagering Operator.”
Most sportsbooks state in their rules that they have the right to dictate limits to specific players.
“BetMGM will determine minimum and maximum wager amounts per patron on all events to include: all periods, segments, propositions, and future book wagers,” BetMGM states under its general rules.
DraftKings also makes mention of being able to limit or refuse wagers.
“All bet selections are subject to pre-imposed limits set solely at DraftKings’ discretion which may be lower than the limits mentioned in the Sport Specific Limits and/or mentioned elsewhere on DraftKings’ platform,” the sportsbook states in its rules. “DraftKings reserves the right to decline or void, in its sole discretion, all, or part of, any bet requested. This includes the possibility that a “System bet” is not accepted in full, either in terms of wagers or combinations included in said “System bet.”
This is a big concern to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, while also recognizing the rights of the sports gambling operator.
“I understand there are probably legitimate business decisions that are made by our sports wagering operators here,” Maynard said. “I don’t discount any of those. But I do think there should be a way for patrons to really understand what might get them limited.”
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