In early 2023, Massachusetts gaming commissioners put a regulation on the books that bans betting on players or teams who promote or represent Russia or Belarus. The war in Ukraine started the previous year, and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) was at the forefront of making a political statement through betting policies.
Monday morning, the MGC voted to strengthen its position, directing staff to rework the current language to include language that would require sportsbooks to immediately pull a bet if a Russian or Belarusian fighter not previously known to “promote or represent” their country walked into an event draped in a flag or was otherwise actively promoting their country. This means that a bet placed on a fighter could be pulled minutes — or even seconds — before the athlete enters the ring or cage.
“It’s challenging for us to play in the foreign policy space,” Commissioner Paul Brodeur said. “But it is about the clarity and predictability, and I think this will help.”
Russian or Belarusian athletes who do not actively or publicly support or promote Russia or Belarus can be bet on, including Russian or Belarusian nationals who play in, for example, the English Premier League.
With betting already prohibited on athletes known to support those countries, commissioners discussed the line between athletes born there who are not supporters of the war and those who are.
Betting on any event that takes place in either country is prohibited.
Rule was murky to some operators
Sportsbook operators in Massachusetts have already struggled with the Russia-Belarus prohibition.
DraftKings previously asked for clarification of the rule, which resulted in the MGC making it legal to bet “on a Russian or Belarusian born, based, or affiliated athlete competing individually or on a team in an event … if the event is scheduled to be conducted outside of Russia or Belarus and they are not known to represent or promote these countries.” This allows for Olympic bettors to wager on these athletes.
The rule has caused some issues in the state, where BetMGM, Fanatics Sportsbook, and FanDuel have all taken wagers on sporting events involving Belarusian teams. Most recently, the MGC opened an investigation into Fanatics taking $968.13 in bets on the Belarusian national soccer team and FanDuel taking $17,621 in bets on the Belarusian national team and another Belarusian professional team.
‘If it hasn’t started yet,’ void the bet
In December, the MGC directed sports wagering staff to tighten the language in the hopes of avoiding confusion, but also because commissioners want clarity.
Under the current language, an athlete with no history of representing or promoting Russia or Belarus could walk into an event and take a stand by, for example, wearing a flag, but bets could stand and be settled. Betting on the athlete would be banned in the future.
Commissioners want the action to be more immediate.
“Why don’t we just ban the wager if they walk in draped in a flag that that runs afoul of the prohibition and the bet would be made invalid for that event?” Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said. “If it hasn’t even started yet, then they should just void” the bet.
The commission ultimately settled on O’Brien’s suggestion.
The MGC already bans betting on Russian or Belarusian soccer teams and Russian or Belarussian-born professional soccer players in other leagues. In those instances, bettors can wager against the opposing team.
