Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes the legalization and regulation of sports betting.

Highlights:

• Specifies a person or entity that offers fantasy contests for a cash prize to members of the public may offer a fantasy contest to residents of the commonwealth according to regulations promulgated by the attorney general; provided further, a fantasy contest will not be considered illegal gaming (Sec. 2).

• Requires the State Lottery Commission to do the following (Sec. 4.e):

• Determine the eligibility of a person to hold or continue to hold a license;

• Issue all licenses; and

• Maintain a record of all licenses issued under this law. The commission may accept applications, evaluate qualifications of applicants, undertake an initial review of licenses and issue temporary licenses.

• Authorizes category 1 or category 2 licensee to enter into agreements related to mobile or digital sports wagering with a category 3 licensee according to the approval of the commission (Sec. 6-4).

• Requires the commission to consider the overall reputation of the applicant including, the following in evaluating the suitability of the applicant (Sec. 6-4-3.d):

• The integrity, honesty, good character, and reputation of the applicant;

• The financial stability, integrity, and background of the applicant;

• The business practices and the business ability of the applicant to establish and maintain a successful sports wagering operation;

• Whether the applicant has a history of compliance with gaming or sports wagering licensing requirements in other jurisdictions;

• Whether the applicant, at the time of application, is a defendant in litigation involving its business practices; and

• The suitability of all parties in interest to the license, including affiliates and close associates and the financial resources of the applicant.

• Requires all persons employed by an operator to perform duties directly related to the operation of sports wagering in the commonwealth in a supervisory role to maintain a valid occupational license issued by the commission. The commission will issue such occupational licenses to a person who meets the requirements of this law (Sec. 8.a).

• Requires sports wagering operators to employ commercially reasonable methods to (Sec. 11.a):

• Prohibit the operator, directors, officers, owners, and employees of the operator, and any relative living in the same household as such persons, from placing bets with the operator;

• Prohibit athletes, coaches, referees, team owners, employees of a sports governing body or its member teams and player and referee union personnel from wagering on any sporting event of their sport’s governing body; 

• Prohibit any individual with access to non-public confidential information held by the operator from placing wagers with the operator;

• Prohibit persons from placing wagers as agents or proxies for others; and

• Maintain the security of wagering data, customer data, and other confidential information from unauthorized access and dissemination;

• Requires sports wagering operators to immediately report to the commission any information relating to (Sec. 11-5.e):

• Criminal or disciplinary proceedings commenced against the sports wagering operator in connection with its operations;

• Abnormal betting activity or patterns that may indicate a concern with the integrity of a sporting event or events;

• Any potential breach of the internal rules and codes of conduct about sports wagering of a relevant sports governing body;

• Any other conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of a sporting event or events for purposes of financial gain, including, but not limited to, match-fixing; and

• Suspicious or illegal wagering activities, including, but not limited to: 

• Use of funds derived from illegal activity; 

• Wagers to conceal or launder funds derived from illegal activity;

• Use of agents to place wagers; and

• Use of false identification.

• Requires the commission to establish a list of self-excluded persons from sports wagering. A person may request their name to be placed on the list of self-excluded persons by filing a statement with the commission acknowledging that they are a problem gambler and by agreeing that, during any period of voluntary exclusion, they shall not collect any winnings or recover any losses resulting from any sports wagering (Sec. 13-2).

Full Bill Text