Sharp Betting Limited at MA Sportsbooks

Although sports betting is legal in 39 of the 50 states in the U.S. in 2025, every state has the authority to regulate the activity how it sees fit, which has led to a different experience in every state. There are different tax rates for sports betting depending on the state, different rules about which markets bettors can wager on and each state is free to make changes as it sees fit. Some states have already increased the tax rate for sports betting operators, for example.

But in every state, the issue of limiting bettors who are consistently winning at sportsbooks has come to the forefront in recent years. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) called a series of meetings to address this problem in 2024, and will likely come up with a recommendation soon for operators in that state to follow.

What does it mean for sportsbooks to limit sharp bettors?

Sportsbook operators advertise that all bettors are welcome to wager at their sportsbooks, and while this is true, there are different rules that have always existed for different types of bettors. Many bettors win small amounts of money, lose small amounts of money or lose all of their money, but for the few that show they can consistently profit large amounts, the amount that they are allowed to bet on many events is severely limited at sportsbooks, sometimes to $10 or less per wager.

While certain bettors may be able to wager $50,000 on an NFL game, for example, others may other be able to wager $10, simply based on their previous track record of winning bets.

As of now, there is little recourse for the bettor and that account when he/she is limited at a sportsbook.

What does the Massachusetts Gaming Commission plan to do about limiting sports bettors?

There has long been a discussion ongoing – mostly on social media and in gaming circles – about this practice of limiting sharp (or respected) bettors at sportsbooks. It’s a discussion that has now come more into the open thanks to the efforts of the MGC in 2024.

The commission planned a discussion of the topic in May 2024, and all but one of the operators in the state didn’t show, leading to a September hearing that included all of the operators. At the crux of the issue is regulators understanding the process for sportsbooks to limit sports bettors and how many bettors are limited.

Sportsbook operators are hesitant to divulge too much information, as any reduction in limiting certain types of bettors is likely to ultimately lead to fewer profits. Operators have argued that limiting bettors is a tool needed to manage risk, only impacts a small percentage of the overall pool of bettors and allows them to offer competitive odds and a huge variety of betting options to customers.

The commission will make a “detailed, but narrow, data request” to operators about their practice of limiting bettors and then will comb through the data, analyze and make potential new regulations.

The MGC is the only legal sports betting regulators that has taken an active interest in this topic, but it will be fascinating to see the results of how it plays out and what, if any, ripple effects it has on other states.