MGM Springfield has been penalized $25,000 by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) for accepting bets on a college baseball game between Northeastern University and Campbell University that had not been authorized for wagering in Massachusetts. This betting was available on April 5, 2025, which was against state law as Massachusetts prohibits wagering on college teams based in the state, except when those teams are participating in a national tournament.
The MGC Enforcement Division found that the betting market existed for roughly two hours before a gaming agent noticed the error and removed it. This fine adds to a growing list of compliance issues for MGM in Massachusetts. In 2024, the operator faced a penalty for allowing bets on college basketball games involving Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Additionally, in 2023, MGM was disciplined when its sportsbook platform, BetMGM, mistakenly identified Harvard University as being located in Connecticut, leading to the creation of prohibited betting markets.
In a related action during the same meeting, BetMGM was also fined for accepting wagers on boxing matches in Saudi Arabia in 2025, with 79 bets placed before the problem was identified. Massachusetts regulators maintain a strict stance on compliance failures, regardless of whether customer harm occurs or the betting activity is limited. The MGC underscored to licensed operators the importance of maintaining effective controls to prevent restricted betting markets from becoming available, stating that the violation was not lessened by the absence of bets placed on the college baseball game, emphasizing the operators' duty to adhere to all relevant Massachusetts regulations regarding college sports betting at all times.
