- Caesars Sportsbook allegedly accepted deposits via credit card from 35 different users, which turned into a total handle of $1,256 across 88 wagers.
- The Massachusetts Gaming Commission agreed to move forward with an adjudicatory hearing regarding Caesars violating state law by accepting credit card deposits for wagering.
- The Commission previously issued a $450,000 fine to DraftKings for the same offense back in July, which was the harshest penalty in the US on an operator.
BOSTON – Caesars Sportsbook is in hot water for accepting credit card deposits in Massachusetts, which is prohibited by state law. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported a legal sports betting handle of $1,256 from 88 wagers funded by credit card deposits.
Bettors made the deposits in other states that accept credit card deposits, and returned to the Commonwealth with betting funds in their accounts. According to the commission’s senior enforcement counsel Zachary Mercer, he stated in a Dec. 18 meeting that the incident was a “internal configuration error” and the issue was self-reported on October 28.
Caesars accepted wagers from credit card-funded accounts from Oct. 15 to Oct. 28. After Caesars self-reported this issue, they shut down betting in Massachusetts until they fixed the issue.
Massachusetts Strong Against Credit Card Sports Betting
The Commonwealth notoriously takes this issue seriously, as they previously issued a $450,000 fine to DraftKings in July for accepting credit card deposits. This restriction is clear under MA General Laws Chapter 23N, but the fine remains the largest for a sports betting violation since legal Massachusetts sports betting launched in 2023.
Commissioner Bradford Hill claims he typically stays out of the noncompliance issues, but this credit card issue was a red flag to him. He said in the meeting that “It’s the severity of the credit cards. This is something that this commission, since day one, has cared a lot about…so I’m going to ask that we have the [adjudicatory] hearing.”
The adjudicatory hearing has not been scheduled yet, but Chairman Jordan Maynard said in regards to others calling for a hearing that “I’m in agreement. We’ll do an adjudicatory hearing.”
