Encore Boston Harbor Receives $40k Fine For Offering In-State College Sports Wagers

Although it lasted for more than a year to solve, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission recently imposed a fine of $40.000 to Encore Boston Harbor for its 2nd breach linked to providing bets on in-state college sports at its physical sportsbook.

The violations occurred during February last year:

The 2 breaches occurred during February of last year, only weeks following the original incident that caused a fine of $10.000 for the facility. In addition, when discussing the original incident in a conversation with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), the MGC commented that it was a one-time problem with the GAN platform supplier, and that the said problem has been solved.

But, after a period of less than a month, the bookie received $163 in bets on the February 19 Boston Collegewomen’s basketball game and the February 15 on a women’s basketball teams from Massachusetts. Additionally, the bookmaker commented it directs inspecitions with GAN twice a day of its offerings regarding college sports wagering, but that these are missed. The reason for this is that they were loaded into the system shortly, aka less than an hour, prior to the official beginning of the games.

Relatedly, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission opted for the aforementioned $40,000 fine, although the overall bets were only $213. The reason for this is because it was a second offense and to prevent additional problems in the future.

Commenting on that, in its decision, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission wrote according to the official press release: “Only after the Commission requested additional information from Encore was a cogent explanation and solve for the noncompliance event provided. Despite this being the second adjudicatory hearing on the same type of noncompliance event, Encore did not demonstrate that it had its vendors under control, or that it had even coordinated with them in preparation for the hearing. The Commission expects more of its operators and licensees.”

Furthermore, this is 1 of few pending court issues for the sports wagering operators in Massachusetts and for the aforementioned Massachusetts Gaming Commission. However, the group also needs to decide on some of the different high-profile incidents, involving the recent admission by DraftKings that it proceeded to receive credit card deposits financing regardless of the state’s credit cards suspension and the Barstool Can’t Lose Parlay.

Wynn Resorts obtains validation to start construction on Encore Boston Harbor’s expansion:

In other news, as Everett does everything in its power to economically revitalize its industrial waterfront into a large entertainment center, its Planning Board officially granted final validation of Wynn Resorts’ extension across the street from its Encore Boston Harbor Casino.

The project caused legal concerns about “where Wynn could bring gambling activities.” In this regard, according to Casino.org, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission must hold a vote to decide if the expansion may be considered part of the existing license for the aforementioned Encore Casino that followed the 2013 ballot referendum.