Massachusetts Gaming Commission Moves To Draft Regulation Concerning Player Limits

By Bill Speros Sep 30th, 2025 1:54 PM EDT

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission Tuesday took its long-awaited "next steps" in regulating the practice of player limits placed on bettors by sportsbooks.

MGC Sports Wagering Division Chief Carrie Torrisi presented a survey of licensed operators in the Commonwealth. It found 0.64% of player accounts had been limited as of December 2024. The survey found that books favored limiting those players who won, and favored not limiting those who lost.

The MGC said there were approximately 2.1 million player accounts in the state at that time. So that 0.64% would translate into roughly 13,400 accounts. There are seven active licensed online sports betting operators in Massachusetts: DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Fanatics, Bally's, Caesars Sportsbook, and ESPN BET (owned by PENN Entertainment).

The move to examine and regulate player limits has been underway in Massachusetts informally via the MGC since 2023, when legal betting was launched in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts is the first jurisdiction in the country to openly discuss player limits at this level.

The MGC agreed upon moving toward regulations that would require operators to notify patrons whose accounts were limited. The members of the MGC agreed operators should inform patrons as to why they were limited. Some expressed support for a further examination of advertising regulations.

Reports Of Player Limits 'Appear To Be True'

“Sports wagering operators need to manage risk. And patrons who take advantage of the legal market are often limited for justifiable reasons,” said MGC Chair Jordan Maynard. “Reports that a small number of patrons find themselves facing restrictive limits, with little to no justification, or notifications, appear to be true.”

While that’s hardly news to those who actively wager, it was noteworthy to hear it in the first time in such a regulatory setting.

“The Commission sought to answer whether there is a trend showing that players who demonstrate a tendency to win have their limit decreased and players who demonstrate a tendency to lose have their limit increased. The data received from operators confirms that the answer to that question is yes,” the MGC’s report found.

Next Steps Include Notifying Patrons Who Are Limited

About 12% of players who were limited saw that number fall to 1% of what was their average stake

A presentation by industry analyst Dustin Gouker, detailing possible options for operators and regulators, preceded an executive session during Tuesday's scheduled meeting. MGC staff will now begin drafting first-in-the nation regulations that would require operators to inform patrons when they are limited.

This includes the specific wording of what the regulation regarding notification would say, including how the decisions were made, and solicit input from operators.

“Operators have to be part of the solution. We identified the problem,” Maynard said. “We’ve talked about it for over a year. If half-a-percent of bettors are being limited without justification, I want the algorithms to be retooled. I want people to be held accountable at the operators to making sure that those folks can get back into the regulated market. I also want to know that when we get contacted by patrons, why that person was limited. A way that we can get ahead of that is if they’re notified about their limitations. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission tries to be the most-fair regulator. Period. This is really about fairness. To make sure that when players aren’t taking advantage of the books, but they’re limited, that they’re able to get out of that ‘box’ … and back into the market.”

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