MGM Springfield Hit With $25,000 Fine Over Prohibited College Baseball Wagers

Posted on: June 24, 2026, 07:48h. 

Last updated on: June 24, 2026, 09:18h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • MGM Springfield agreed to pay a $25,000 fine after its BetMGM retail sportsbook briefly offered odds on a 2025 college baseball game involving Northeastern, an in-state school
  • Massachusetts law generally prohibits betting on sporting events involving colleges located in the commonwealth
  • The sportsbook removed the market after regulators discovered it had been available for about two hours

MGM Springfield has agreed to pay a $25,000 penalty for allowing its retail sportsbook to offer odds on a college baseball game involving a state-based school.

MGM Springfield Massachusetts casinos gambling
A sign outside MGM Springfield. MGM Resorts has been fined $25,000 for allowing prohibited bets involving in-state colleges. (Image: Shutterstock)

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) and its Investigations and Enforcement Bureau reports that the BetMGM Sportsbook at MGM Springfield temporarily allowed bets on a 2025 NCAA men’s baseball game between the Northeastern Huskies and Campbell Camels played in North Carolina on April 5.

Massachusetts’ 2022 sports betting law signed by the then-Gov. Charlie Baker (R) prohibits retail and online sportsbooks from taking bets on games and events involving colleges that have campuses within the commonwealth. The exception is when the college is participating in a tournament involving at least four teams.

“‘Sporting event’ shall not include high school and youth sports or athletic events or a collegiate sport or athletic event involving one or more collegiate teams from the commonwealth unless they are involved in a collegiate tournament,” the law reads.

BetMGM Resolution 

Ahead of the April 5, 2025, matchup between the Huskies and Camels in Buies Creek, NC, the MGM Springfield BetMGM Sportsbook in Massachusetts had active odds on the college baseball game before the infraction was noticed by an MGC agent.

Wagering was open for approximately two hours before it was discovered by an MGC gaming agent. No wagers were accepted on the market,” explained Diandra Franks, enforcement counsel with the MGC.

Northeastern won the game 8-1.

“MGM was responsive and communicative throughout this process and is in agreement with the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau’s recommendation. Based upon IEB’s review, communications with the operator, and guidance from the commission, the IEB is recommending that the commission assess a $25,000 civil assessment upon MGM,” Franks continued.

The MGC voted unanimously 5-0 to approve the civil penalty.

Student-Athlete Protection

Massachusetts lawmakers banned in-state college sports betting on the belief that it would limit instances of bettors making threats against, or trying to coerce, student-athletes.

The regulation is also thought to better preserve the integrity of college sports by making it harder for a student-athlete to find someone to conspire with to fix a game. The tournament exemption was primarily implemented to allow betting on major events, such as NCAA March Madness and the College Football Playoff.

Each of the three land-based casinos in Massachusetts has been fined by the MGC for violating the in-state college betting ban.

In February 2024, the MGC fined Encore Boston Harbor $40,000 for its second violation of the in-state rule in less than a month. The sportsbook at the Wynn property had wrongly allowed bets on UMass and Boston College women’s basketball games. The $40,000 penalty is the largest MGC fine against a sportsbook for violating the in-state school rule.