Massachusetts Requires New Seal of Approval for Sports Betting Operators

• All online sports betting operators will have to display an official Massachusetts seal of approval on their digital platforms this month
• Consumers will be able to distinguish between licensed, regulated platforms and illegal platforms in the Commonwealth
• Massachusetts Gaming Commission instituted the requirement to combat illegal, offshore gaming companies

Licensed and regulated Massachusetts online sports betting operators will now be required to include an official Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) seal of approval on their digital platforms beginning this month.

The new requirement is designed to allow sports betting consumers in the commonwealth to easily distinguish between regulated and licensed gaming platforms and illegally operated alternatives.

According to the commission, the seal is a “significant step” in ongoing efforts to promote responsible and regulated gaming in Massachusetts.

Combating Illegal Massachusetts Gaming

Each of the seven licensed online sports betting operators in the state are required to implement data and financial security measures, industry-leading Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, and and responsible gaming initiatives to ensure customers have a safe and regulated sports betting experience.

This next step, to display the official seal, will add to the safeguards and serve as a visual reminder of the regulations in place, according to the MGC.

“The MGC has spent considerable efforts ensuring that the operators licensed in the Commonwealth share our values and are committed to consumer protections and responsible gaming,” said Commissioner Eileen O’Brien in a press release. “Massachusetts residents who choose to gamble on sports deserve to know their data, personal and financial information are protected, and only the legal marketplace offers those protections. By locating this seal, users will be able to easily identify a legal sportsbook from an illegal operator.”

Illegally operated offshore gaming companies put users at risk of data breaches and financial losses. Operators can refuse to honor winning bets, which leaves state customers with little to no recourse.

The MGC, and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, have recently started to crackdown on these illegally operated gaming companies.

Massachusetts Bans Bovada

Bovada, the illegally operated offshore gaming company, added Massachusetts to its list of restricted states last month after receiving a cease-and-desist notice from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

According to the letter, Bovada was violating state gaming and sports betting laws by portraying itself to Massachusetts residents as a “USA-based” gambling operator, inducing commonwealth consumers to participate in illegal and unregulated forms of gambling.

“Since 2011, Bovada has presented itself as a legitimate American gambling operator, but without any proper Massachusetts license. Unlicensed operators pose a substantial danger to consumers because they do not go through the same rigorous review as licensed operators, have limited or no protections against gambling addiction and underage play, and do not provide consumers with reliable access to their funds since most unlicensed operators are offshore,” the Attorney General’s Office noted in a press release.

Bovada restricts access to 15 states and Washington, D.C. As was the case in all of these markets, Bovada never acknowledged the notices or told the states of their plans to restrict access.

The restricted U.S. markets are as follows:

• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia