A much-anticipated public roundtable on the practice of limiting sports betting customers finally has a set date.
The Gaming Commission will host a roundtable on limiting sports betting customers on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The commission has been discussing the potential for a new meeting for the last month after the majority of licensed sports betting operators skipped out on the first roundtable held earlier this year.
The commission is expecting all sportsbook operators to attend the meeting.
Meeting Will Feature Industry Experts, Licensed Operators
The meeting will likely be split into two portions. Sports bettors and industry professionals will speak during one half of the meeting and the licensed sports betting operators will be able to speak in the other.
The licensed Massachusetts sports betting operators have made it clear they plan to attend the meeting after receiving sharp criticism from the gaming commission after not the first roundtable in May. Seven of the eight licensed operators did not attend the meeting, with only Bally s sending a representative to the meeting. At the time, Bally Bet had yet to launch in the commonwealth.
Interim Chair Jordan Maynard previously said he expects every licensed operator to attend this meeting.
Commissioner Nakisha Skinner has been the most vocal member of the MGC in her disappointment over the first meeting. During a in August, Skinner said this will not be a meeting for operators to “save face” by showing up but refusing to speak on the topic in public.
Operators will be expected to provide statistics on the practice of limiting sports bettors and publicly discuss what goes into the decision making process to limit Massachusetts customers on their platforms.
Important Industry Meeting
The public meeting will be the second discussion hosted by the MGC on the controversial topic. Seven of the eight sports betting operators did not attend the MGC’s first meeting on the practice, which rankled a number of the state regulators.
It s going to be closely followed by those in the sports betting industry, as it will likely provide the first of its kind look into how operators decide to limit customers. The practice has been shrouded in mystery, as customers have asked for answers on why they receive limits and what goes into a decision to limit a customer.
Operators balked at sharing information into the process, declaring they would not provide trade secrets and would only do so in an executive session away from the public.
Massachusetts regulators have stood firm in their decision to hold the meeting in public for transparency into the operator process.
