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Gaming Edge’s TL;DR
- The Massachusetts Gaming Commission fined MGM Springfield $25,000 over a banned college baseball offering.
- It separately fined BetMGM $7,000 for unauthorized boxing bets.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 5-0 to fine MGM Springfield $25,000 after the casino briefly offered bets on an April 5, 2025, college baseball game between Northeastern University and Campbell University.
Under Massachusetts law, sportsbooks may offer college betting, but not on games involving Massachusetts schools.
According to the commission summary, the market was available for about two hours before regulators noticed it. No bets were placed on the game.
The commission also approved a separate $7,000 fine against BetMGM, MGM’s mobile sports betting app, for taking bets on boxing matches in Saudi Arabia in 2025. In that case, 79 bets totaling more than $1,000 were accepted before the wagers were refunded or parlays were adjusted.
In the same meeting, regulators approved a one-day extension of MGM Springfield’s liquor license to allow alcohol sales on the casino parking garage roof during its July 4 fireworks event.
MA casinos reported over $100M gross gaming revenue in May
The biggest takeaway for players is simple: not every college game is fair game, even in a legal sports betting state. Massachusetts allows sports wagering, but it draws a hard line on college events involving in-state schools. In this case, that meant a Northeastern baseball game should never have been listed.
For operators, the enforcement message is broader than one mistaken baseball market. MGM was penalized on both the retail and mobile sides of its business, showing that compliance failures can surface across multiple products. Even where customer harm appears limited – no bets on the baseball game, and boxing wagers later refunded or adjusted – the commission still moved forward with fines.
The story also lands alongside a business snapshot for MGM Springfield. The casino reported 1,655 workers in its quarterly filing, including 1,003 full-time employees, 393 part-timers and 259 on-call workers. It also posted $26 million in gross gambling revenue in May, up from $24.4 million in April.
Together, Plainridge Park Casino, MGM Springfield, and Encore Boston Harbor generated about $105.88 million in gross gaming revenue in May.
Based on reporting by Jim Kinney for Mass Live.
