10 Bookmakers Skip Roundtable About Limiting Winning Bettors

ESPN gambling writer David Payne Purdum reported that 10 sportsbook operators blew off a Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) roundtable Tuesday, May 21 to discuss the practice of limiting winning sports bettors. Massachusetts Gaming Commission Interim Chair, Jordan Maynard, led a public meeting streamed live on YouTube on Tuesday addressing this issue. 

In his introduction, Maynard said: "Many at the MGC, myself included, were wondering if there were patrons who were wagering honestly who were being limited … There is a worry that if we have operators limiting patrons who are playing by the rules, that limitation will naturally incentivize those players to turn to the illegal market."

These sportsbooks have no problem accepting bets from amateurs. Yet, if someone begins making money, they'll shut down or limit that bettor despite him or her following the rules. We hear about bettors hitting massive double-digit-leg "same-game-parlays" that payout at 100-to-1 or higher. 

Publicly, they'll promote crazy parlays with the pipe dream of making a life-changing score while only wagering a few bucks. However, the oddsmakers' risk management teams do whatever is necessary to keep the money in-house. 

As the MGC interim chairman says, this type of bookmaking pushes individuals to gamble illegally. Granted, most people reading this (and I fall into this bucket) aren't good enough at sports betting to be limited by oddsmakers. 

But, like anything else, sports betting is a skill. With more practice, there's an outside shot of winning. Since I'm a California resident, I get FOMO often about not having access to these sportsbooks. Nonetheless, after reading and hearing stories about these shifty oddsmakers banning winners, I'm not missing much. 

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