Fanatics Sportsbook has to pay a $15,000 fine in Massachusetts after accepting a bet on an illegal college sports betting market. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) issued the penalty on Thursday following a probe by the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau.
State law prohibits sportsbooks from offering betting markets on in-state college teams.
The regulator’s board unanimously agreed to the penalty during its meeting and Fanatics does not plan to appeal it. The bet in question was a $2 parlay relating to five games, including one in which Boston College was playing. State law prohibits sportsbooks from offering betting markets on in-state college teams. The wager in December violated these rules despite Fanatics realizing the error before the game took place.
This isn’t the only time that Fanatics has gotten in trouble for violating the in-state rule. It had to pay a $10,000 fine in May after accepting a $50 wager on a game involving the Boston College football team. The bet was voided before the game and the stake was refunded, bu the MGC still proceeded to fine the operator.
Only a handful of jurisdictions still have a ban on betting on in-state college teams. A lawmaker in New Jersey recently introduced legislation to remove this restriction.