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Massachusetts is gearing up for its first NFL Draft since sports betting went live in the state, and regulators are implementing strict wagering rules on pre-draft or round-specific markets.
Rules on pre-draft offerings require that wagers be placed prior to the first pick, while round-specific offerings must be placed before the first selection of the earliest round included in the bet. For example, a wager on if player X will be drafted in the third round must be made prior to the first pick of the third round.
For pick-specific markets, wagers must be placed two picks in advance, according to Massachusetts sports betting rules. That means a wager on the No. 25 pick, for example, must be made before the announcement of No. 23.
The Commonwealth is trying to avoid wagering based on leaked picks, according to Massachusetts Sports Wagering Division Manager Sterl Carpenter. He told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Tuesday that the agency modeled its NFL Draft betting rules after Michigan, which requires pick wagers to be placed two rounds before a selection is announced.
“The operator has the restriction that, if we are at pick 5 (for example)– they cannot allow wagering on pick 6 or 7,” he told the commission.
NFL Gives Stamp of Approval to Massachusetts’ Draft Betting Rules
The NFL itself has policies in place to protect the league’s integrity. And it takes violations of betting rules seriously, as the organization proved last Friday when it handed down player suspensions for betting violations in 2022.
The AP reported that three players are suspended indefinitely with two others receiving six-game suspensions.
Massachusetts regulators seemed pleased to report to MGC commissioners Tuesday that they had been told by the NFL this week that MGC rules “adequately address the NFL Draft,” MGC Sports Wagering Director Bruce Band told the commission.
Carpenter said Massachusetts wagering rules are designed to make sure no one has an unfair advantage.
“We feel it has great constraints and protections for all of our wagering possibilities here in the Commonwealth,” he said of the rules.
Betr Closer to Massachusetts Launch
The MGC also voted Tuesday to approve house rules for Fanatics and an operations certificate for the mobile microbetting sports app Betr. Both sportsbooks are expected to launch in Massachusetts in the coming weeks.
Fanatics is the online sports betting partner of Plainridge Park Casino, which is also partnered with the Barstool Sportsbook app. Barstool launched its mobile app with PPC on March 10.
Betr will be operating on an untethered mobile license in Massachusetts.
Betr had earlier announced plans to launch in Massachusetts in April, but a May launch now appears more likely. A Betr launch is not imminent this week, according to an MGC email sent to Gaming Today this morning.
“Launch plans are still being finalized by the company and more will be announced in the coming days,” per the email.
