All of the biggest names in online sports betting took a pass on a highly anticipated meeting in Massachusetts on Tuesday regarding the wagering limits bookmakers allegedly impose on their customers for winning too much or too cleverly, among other things.
“I hope that we can continue this discussion in whatever form or fashion the operators are comfortable with and that meets our obligations under the open meeting law,” commissioner Nakisha Skinner said. “Because I do think we have not scratched the surface. In order for us to even have future conversations among this body at a public meeting, there's a lot of information that we just don't have.
“The comments overwhelmingly indicated that regular patrons, individuals who casually or recreationally wager, are limited simply for winning, winning in the ordinary course,” Skinner said. “And, to me, that's a much different conversation that affects many more individuals, many more citizens of this commonwealth, than the handful — I don’t know how many, forgive me — of sharps that might be sort of gaming the system from the operators’ perspective.
ESPN BET-operator PENN Entertainment Inc., for example, turned in answers to the five topics of discussion the MGC put on its agenda, such as how and why a bettor is limited on its platform. The roundtable ultimately touched on a more contentious aspect of limiting, which is when bettors are restricted after winning, not for trying to “abuse” promos.