Massachusetts regulator fines Encore Boston Harbor for sports catalogue breaches
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has fined Encore Boston Harbor $40,000.
US.- The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has issued a $40,000 fine to Encore Boston Harbor for accepting wagers on two events involving a collegiate team based in Massachusetts that was not competing in a tournament. Both incidents took place in February 2023, weeks after an initial incident that resulted in a $10,000 fine for the property.
When speaking to the MGC about the initial incident, the property said the issue was a one-time problem with platform provider GAN and that the matter had been fixed. However, less than a month later, the sportsbook took $163 in wagers in wafers on Massachusetts women’s basketball teams on February 15 and another $50 in wagers on a Boston College women’s basketball game on February 19.
The sportsbook says it conducts twice-daily audits of its college sports betting offerings with GAN but that these slipped through because they were uploaded to the system less than an hour before the games started. Such wagers are prohibited under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 23N Section 3, MGC regulation 205 CMR 247.01(2)(a)(2), and the Massachusetts Sports Wagering Catalog.
The MGC settled on a $40,000 fine because it was a second infraction and to deter further issues from happening in the future. It wrote: “Only after the Commission requested additional information from Encore was a cogent explanation and solve for the noncompliance event provided. Despite this being the second adjudicatory hearing on the same type of noncompliance event, Encore did not demonstrate that it had its vendors under control, or that it had even coordinated with them in preparation for the hearing. The Commission expects more of its operators and licensees.”
See also: Massachusetts casino and sports betting revenue hits $164.6m in January
