EndGame: Regulators Take Action In Massachusetts, Colorado

The U.S. sports betting world moves quickly and unpredictably in 2026. In order to properly take stock of it all, we offer InGame’s “EndGame,” an end-of-week compilation of the top storylines, some overlooked items, and all the other news bits from this past week that we found interesting.

Massachusetts takes up harassment issue

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has been among the most aggressive agencies policing questionable sports betting activities ever since the industry launched in the state in 2023, and now it has a new initiative aimed at those harassing athletes over losses.

This week the MGC launched “Bet on Respect,” a program it said is designed to ensure that athletes are protected if participating in games subject to wagering. It includes a portal for the players or representatives of leagues, associations, venues, and others to report suspected abuse tied to betting. The reports will be investigated in order to place those found to have committed such acts on the state’s involuntary exclusion list.

“Good-natured cheering and jeering are acceptable and even expected at sporting events, but sports wagering is an activity for adults, and adults should know better than to cross the line into harassment,” said MGC Chairman Jordan Maynard. “While this tool will be impactful, we hope its use will be limited as patrons will know right from wrong.”

The commission’s announcement noted that the initiative is supported by major Boston sports franchises, regulated sportsbook operators, and casinos.

Massachusetts regulators seek to reduce athlete harassment – CDC Gaming https://t.co/tJHgLHG0k8
— Yanni Tesh (@yannitesh22) September 2, 2026

Fanatics fined over self-exclusion violation

Fanatics Sportsbook has been fined $20,000 in Colorado for continuing to contact a gambler who had placed himself on the state’s self-exclusion list, The Denver Post reported.

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At its monthly meeting last week, the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission took action against Fanatics for one of its VIP team members twice contacting a customer early this year who had voluntarily placed himself on the list designed to prevent gambling by those with addiction issues.

In addition to paying the fine, Fanatics will do an audit to determine if other self-excluded customers were similarly contacted and will conduct new training of its staff on the issue, according to a stipulation agreement.

In a separate regulatory matter in Colorado, sports betting rule changes have been proposed in order to implement a new law that includes a ban on use of credit cards to fund accounts. The proposal includes updates to regulations around system requirements, sports betting kiosks, and sports betting accounts. Public comments will be accepted until Sept. 11 in advance of commission discussion at its Sept. 17 meeting.

NFL bettors well aware of prediction markets

NFL bettors see prediction markets as mainstream, while individual players and teams are key drivers of betting behavior, per two “insight studies” from the AI-powered marketing firm Optimove.

According to its report released Friday, 84% of NFL bettors say they’ve heard of prediction markets and 60% plan to trade on the platforms this season. Optimove surveyed 926 U.S. NFL bettors in August and looked at their “awareness” of prediction markets. The company explained that “awareness” of prediction markets means a respondent has heard of prediction markets, but they may not understand how to use one.

In another study released Monday, Optimove reported that “player performance” influenced respondents to bet more than any other factor, with 45% citing it. That was followed by team loyalty (43%), adding interest to the game (43%), and level of success betting last season (41%).

During the 2025-26 NFL season, bettors still favored pre-game betting (41% of those surveyed) above all other types of wagering, followed by in-game betting (34%). The survey also reported that 84% of NFL bettors say they “typically place” live in-game bets on sportsbooks. The most popular bets pertain to point spreads (60%) and moneylines (59%).

— Jill R. Dorson

Odds and ends

Nicholas Green, previously the general counsel at Underdog Sports, has been appointed to the same position at Onyx Odds, a New York-based company that brings together sports, crypto, and perpetuals trading. Onyx said in its announcement that Green will oversee all legal and compliance matters for the company, which is preparing a prediction market product that is now in beta mode.
ProphetX and Boom Sports announced a new partnership this week to bring sports prediction markets directly to Boom’s user base. Boom has been in the daily fantasy sports business since 2015 and it will now integrate ProphetX’s prediction market exchange into its app offerings.