Massachusetts regulators shot down a request to allow sports betting sites in the Bay State to take action on the Boston Marathon.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) met Thursday and considered whether to add several new events to the state’s legal sports betting catalog. One request they rejected, however, was to allow Massachusetts sports betting on the 127th Boston Marathon, which is on April 17.
DraftKings was the operator that requested permission.
"There are about 70 participants in the professional field for the 2023 marathon," DraftKings wrote in its request. "DraftKings will only be offering the top 20 men & women professional winners and men & women winning time (over/under) for wagering. All results will be determined & verified via the official league's website."
Time is of the essence
DraftKings said in its filing to the MGC that it is currently requesting permission to accept wagers on the marathon in all states it operates. In Massachusetts, though, which is home to the race, the request received a cool reception from regulators. It also received a “no” from the Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the marathon.
“They've indicated there's really not enough time for them to coordinate and fully ensure proper protocols are in place to support such a proposal for wagering on their event,” MGC Executive Director Karen Wells told commissioners. “They indicated thanks for the consideration, but the bottom line is they are asking that this not be part of the events catalog.”
Commissioners were more than willing to accept the BAA’s recommendation, voting to reject the request to add the marathon to the sports-betting catalog by a 4-0 margin.
“There was no outreach to this governing body, which is actually quite local,” MGC Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said during Thursday’s meeting.
Covering new ground
Yet the request highlights how new legal sports betting is in Massachusetts, as event wagering only began at casinos on January 31 and via mobile apps and sites on March 10. Some issues have and will continue to arise, including which events should be available for wagering.
There was some discussion by the commission about how exactly it should go about dealing with the Boston Marathon request and others like it. While the MGC was fine with dismissing DraftKings’ request on Thursday, in the future the process could allow more time for feedback from interested parties.
The MGC also punted on requests for a few other events to be added to the catalog, leaving decisions on those wagering markets to be determined.
U.S. Integrity, a sports wagering monitoring company that ensures games are on the level, was the party that filed the other requests. The firm wanted the MGC to add wagering on Nitro Rallycross, Power Slap, Slapfight Championship, Street League Skateboarding, events overseen by the U.S. Pro Minigolf Association, and Magic City Jai-Alai.
