BetMGM is the second major sportsbook in the last five months to be fined by Colorado’s gaming regulator for allowing bets on college player prop markets.
The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (LGCC) confirmed at a meeting on Nov. 20 that BetMGM accepted a $50,000 fine after the operator self-reported multiple instances of letting users wager on the prohibited markets.
Betting on college teams and game results is legal in Colorado, but betting on the individual performance of student-athletes is not. The LGCC previously fined DraftKings $40,000 in July for a similar violation.
BetMGM took 48 banned bets across 18-month spell
According to a statement of facts published by the regulator and approved at the meeting, BetMGM took a total of 48 player prop wagers on several different college sports events between March 2023 and October 2024.
The bets were on two men’s college basketball National Invitation Tournament games in March 2023, two women’s March Madness basketball regional finals games in April 2024 and a UNLV vs. Oregon State men’s football game in October 2024. The majority of the 48 wagers were on the women’s basketball games, which included current WNBA stars Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.
Overall, the 48 violating bets totaled $879.78 in combined stake, $443.07 of which was on the women’s March Madness games.
The Colorado regulator confirmed that BetMGM discovered and self-reported all violations in all instances and submitted incident reports. The sportsbook admitted the violations and agreed to pay the fine, as well as to provide enhanced training for staff and provide evidence of such training to the commission.
Half of the $50,000 fine is to be paid within 10 days of the decision, while the other $25,000 is suspended for two years and will be scratched if BetMGM does not break any Colorado gaming laws in that time.
SBC Americas reached out to BetMGM for comment.
DraftKings took prop bets on Caleb Love
In July, the LGCC fined DraftKings $40,000 for taking 80 wagers on the performance of then-Arizona Wildcats basketball player Caleb Love for a March 23, 2025, game. Like BetMGM, DraftKings quickly self-reported the prop bets and took remedial action.
The Colorado regulator also fined DraftKings $50,000 in July for a separate incident in which it allowed wagers via a paid-entry “props pool” for the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul in November 2024. The commission said in its meeting materials that it told operators well in advance of the fight that it would not allow wagers on the bout due to the fact that it had different rules than a standard pro boxing match.
Colorado is one of numerous states that do not allow their sportsbooks to offer college player prop markets. NCAA President Charlie Baker led a campaign to get states to remove such markets from their betting menus, and the likes of Ohio, Maryland, Vermont and Louisiana last year joined the list of states to prohibit them. Several other states impose restrictions, such as not allowing player prop wagers on in-state college teams.
