The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has fined all three of the land-based casinos in the state a cumulative total of $50,000 for illegal betting activity surrounding college sports. Retail sports betting launched on January 31 in Massachusetts and the casinos’ violations are said to have occurred soon after the launch, between February 2-4.
MGM Springfield, the casino to take the first bet in Massachusetts, was fined $20,000 for offering bets on regular season Harvard men’s basketball; Plainridge Park Casino (PPC) was also fined $20,000 for taking bets on a men’s basketball game between Merrimack College and Long Island University; and Encore Boston Harbor was fined $10,000 for taking bets on Boston College’s women’s basketball team.
The difference in the monetary penalties was based on the amount of wagers made and money bet. PPC’s sportsbook took 33 bets worth $6,848 on the Merrimack game; MGM took in a total of $1,230; and Encore took a $70 five-game parlay bet.
It is illegal in the state of Massachusetts to bet on any games where Massachusetts colleges are part of the action, unless they are part of a tournament comprising at least four teams. The apparent confusion around this law came from both Merrimack being incorrectly labelled as a Florida college and Harvard University being labelled as a Connecticut school (Yale University would beg to differ).
Encore did manage to void the Boston College leg of the parlay before the game started, aware that a violation had occurred. However, additional bets were placed on the Boston College women’s basketball team after “the system automatically turned it back on.”
The MGC has stated that the illegal bets offered were “a serious violation of statute, regulation, and the Massachusetts Sports Wagering Catalog.” The fines will be used as both a punishment and a “deterrent from letting the same or similar violations occur again.”
Last month, the MGC also began its search for a new Executive Director after Karen Wells stepped down.
