Massachusetts Gaming Chair Warns Prediction Markets Are Targeting Under-21 Bettors
The chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is drawing a direct line between the rise of prediction markets and an increased risk of harm to young bettors.
Jordan Maynard, speaking on WCVB’s On the Record, warned that unregulated platforms operating outside traditional state oversight are actively courting users whom licensed sportsbooks are legally barred from serving.
“The legal market has robust technologies in place,” Maynard said. “But the illegal market and these prediction markets, they openly target people who are under 21.”
The comments reflect a growing concern among state regulators that the rapid expansion of prediction markets is creating a parallel gambling ecosystem with significantly weaker consumer protections, a lower age threshold, and less accountability than the licensed industry.
The Age Gap Problem
The age threshold is the sharpest point of distinction. Licensed sportsbooks and casinos in Massachusetts and most other states require bettors to be at least 21. Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, which operate as federally regulated derivatives exchanges under CFTC jurisdiction, permit users aged 18 and older. That three-year gap represents a significant pool of college-age users who are legally excluded from traditional sports betting but can freely access prediction market platforms.
Multiple reports suggest prediction market operators are gaining meaningful traction among younger demographics. A Wall Street Journal investigation found that Kalshi and Polymarket have actively promoted themselves on social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, through paid creator content that was not always disclosed as advertising.
Campus-level engagement has also been documented. Earlier this year, questions emerged about potential insider trading in prediction markets tied to Super Bowl halftime celebrity appearances, with suggestions that information circulated on college campuses before becoming public.
Massachusetts’s Track Record
Maynard used the interview to outline Massachusetts’s position as a national leader in responsible gaming policy before pivoting to the areas where he believes current frameworks fall short.
The MGC’s responsible gaming and research department is internationally recognized, he said, describing it as the only jurisdiction with dedicated full-time staff focused exclusively on the discipline. The state offers deposit limits, time limits, budgeting tools, and a statewide voluntary self-exclusion system covering casinos, sportsbooks, and racetracks. Marketing to self-excluded players is prohibited. Massachusetts was the first jurisdiction to require age-limit labels across gambling advertising venues and, as previously reported, the first to mandate that operators notify bettors within 48 hours of any account limit being imposed.
Last year, the MGC issued a state-record $450,000 fine against DraftKings for failing to block credit card deposits. DraftKings subsequently stopped accepting credit card deposits nationwide, a policy change that originated in a Massachusetts enforcement action.
On the prediction market front, Massachusetts was the first state to obtain a court ruling blocking Kalshi from offering sports event contracts. Kalshi later secured a stay allowing it to continue operating while the litigation proceeds, and Maynard has been clear that he supports the state’s legal position, characterizing prediction markets as facilitating illegal sports betting under a different regulatory label.
The BetBlocker Partnership
Maynard announced that the Commission is partnering with BetBlocker, a gambling blocking software tool, as part of its response to underage exposure on unregulated platforms.
The tool can be installed on devices, and its coverage extends beyond licensed gambling sites to include illegal offshore platforms and prediction markets. Maynard framed the partnership as a practical tool for parents concerned about their children’s access to betting products that fall outside the regulated system.
The Advertising Question
Maynard also addressed the volume of gambling advertising, a topic that has drawn increasing public attention as betting has expanded. His position was candid. “There’s too much advertising. They annoy me,” he said. He acknowledged, however, that the First Amendment constrains what state regulators can do to restrict it.
His proposed solution is federal. Maynard suggested that national advertising guidelines, established at the federal level rather than through a patchwork of state rules, would be a more effective mechanism for addressing the volume and targeting practices of gambling advertising nationwide. The framing echoes his broader concern, expressed last year, that the US gambling market risks becoming a highway without speed limits if consumer protections do not keep pace with the industry’s rapid expansion.
The current landscape is fragmented. New York imposes strict rules on messaging and prohibits the targeting of minors. Tennessee requires pre-publication regulatory approval of all marketing material and bans celebrity endorsements. States including Florida, Indiana, and Pennsylvania apply fewer restrictions. Representative Paul Tonko of New York has introduced federal advertising legislation for three consecutive years, with limited congressional traction to show for it.
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