Just days after tackling the subject of limiting bettors, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) held a discussion on another hot-button issue.
On Thursday the group of five commissioners listened to a presentation from MGC Chief of Sports Wagering Carrie Torrisi and MGC Director of Research and Responsible Gambling Mark Vander Linden.
The two offered an overview of how the VIP industry works in sports betting based on information they requested from operators and obtained via the commission’s own research and offered recommendations for potential regulatory changes as it pertains to them going forward.
Sportsbook VIPs are generally men age 35-45
The presentation offered some insights into a facet of the business that lacks a lot of open information and clarity.
Torrisi and Vander Linden confirmed that the most common demo for VIP customers is men in their late 30s to early 40s and, on average, participated as a VIP for 10 months. The data varied substantially by operators, but sportsbooks reported 10-35% of VIP customers utilized responsible gambling tools offered by the sites.
As for what would help expand the research, Torrisi and Vander Linden suggested asking operators for more information regarding how much of an operator’s revenue comes from VIP players and specific VIP policies.
Potential new regs around VIP host salaries
On the regulatory front, Vander Linden recommended a possible VIP age minimum of 25 and also floated the idea of limiting the way VIP hosts are compensated so it is less performanced based.
The idea of looking at host compensation was something Commissioner Eileen O’Brien wanted to look into further, particularly because the regulators previously passed regulations that did not allow for affiliates to utilize a revenue share model.
She said the fact these incentives were in-house does not make them less troubling and wanted to know what kind of regulations they could impose in that arena.
As is often the case, the commissioners also asked for more information, in particular what kinds of comps and offers bettors received.
Chair Jordan Maynard stated plainly that he does not want these programs to prey on a population without the fiscal position to be betting at that level.
“VIP programs should be for those who can afford to be VIP and they should not be predatory,” he said.
As for the fact that Massachusetts is once again at the forefront of an issue other regulators are not tackling, that doesn’t deter Maynard.
“I like being the first jurisdiction to be able to do anything if we have the resources to do it, and we do.”
