Sportsbooks Feel Wrath of Massachusetts Regulator
David Genge Published 06/08/2026
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) cited four sportsbooks for violating the state gambling laws. There were several incidents of noncompliance that were cited by MGC officials during a recent meeting. The sports betting operators cited for the violations were BetMGM, Caesars, MGM Springfield, and theScore Bet.
Bets on college football props and on sporting events in Russia were listed among the violations. All college prop betting is illegal in Massachusetts. Likewise, betting on any sports events being held in Russia is also prohibited by the MGC. Other offenses involved illegal marketing activities and ineligible contact between a sportsbook and gamblers who had invoked self-exclusion.
BetMGM cited by the MGC for multiple violations
The Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) of the MGC is accusing BetMGM of involvement in two separate incidents. One incident is concerning marketing violations, and the other is involving promotional missteps.
BetMGM was found making contact with two customers during a time in which both were in BetMGM's voluntary self-exclusion program. That means they made a voluntary request for exclusion from all betting activity. The two customers were receiving promotional offerings of BetMGM's profit boost pack, seeking to get them back betting on the site.
BetMGM cited human error for the violations. The company said that an automated toggle switch that prevents marketing materials from going to self-excluding players was inadvertently turned off by a BetMGM employee.
Two other self-excluding BetMGM customers were receiving a physical mailing promoting the Borgata Casino. BetMGM indicated that confusion over how the self-exclusion list was being handled by the company's marketing arm led to this violation.
These episodes were kicked back to the IED for further investigation. BetMGM was also called upon to provide evidence of how the company was planning to ensure these incidents aren't repeated.
In a similar incident, theScore Bet, run by operator Penn Interactive, is also facing allegations of a marketing mishap. One of the company's VIP hosts contacted a customer enrolled in their voluntary cooling-off period from betting. The VIP host was making contact via text for the purpose of reengagement outreach. There were four distinct violations showing while the customer was in a cooling-off period.
MGC officials called for a full hearing into this alleged violation.
The MGC is accusing Caesars of accepting wagers on unapproved events
The MGC is citing Caesars Sportsbook for taking bets on a boxing match in Russia. Massachusetts prohibits wagering on all sporting events taking place in Russia.
The fight in question was a bout between Dmitry Bivol and Michael Eifert on May 30 in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Between April 30 and May 4, Caesars accepted three separate bets on the fight, with a total handle of $3,769.
Ultimately, Caesars took the bet down from its sports betting platform. There was voiding of all wagers on the fight and returning of the stakes.
Given the low volume of wagering in this incident, the MGC referred the matter to the IEB for further action.
MGM Springfield took bets on the Heisman Trophy
Retail sportsbook MGM Springfield offered wagering on the NCAA college football Heisman Trophy. This was in direct violation of Massachusetts gambling laws, which prohibit any form of prop betting on college sports.
Placing of the bets took place between April 26 and May 11. However, during that time, total betting was one wager for $28.
Discovery of the violation came during a routine trading compliance audit. MGM Springfield took down the wager. MGM Springfield wound up voiding the one bet and returning the stake to the bettor.
The MGC was referring the matter back to the IEB for further investigation.
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