DraftKings denied request to add Boston Marathon to approved betting events
The Boston Athletic Association sent the gaming commission an e-mail formerly requesting that the sportsbook's request be denied.
On Thursday morning, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission denied a request from sports gambling site DraftKings asking that this year’s Boston Marathon be added to its list of events approved for betting.
Boston Marathon
DraftKings’ proposal from March 31 stated that the company “will only be offering the top 20 men & women professional winners and men & women winning time (over/under) for wagering.”
The gaming commission already approves betting on other forms of racing such as rowing, sailing, and swimming, but has restrictions on some forms of betting, like in-state college sports.
Before the Thursday vote, the Boston Athletic Association sent an e-mail to the gaming commission asking that the sportsbook’s request be denied.
In his e-mail to the commission, BAA chief marketing officer Scott Stover wrote:
“At this moment, there is not sufficient time for the Boston Athletic Association, nor its many partners and agencies, to coordinate and fully ensure proper protocols are in place to support such a proposal for wagering on our event. Without time to undergo analysis and proper due diligence, we are concerned about how such an expedited approval would potentially impact the event. Until we can complete due diligence, our concerns include, but are not limited to, ensuring event security and potential influence on the outcome of the race.”
In the Thursday meeting, commissioner Eileen O’Brien referenced the email from the BAA in her opposition to approving the request from DraftKings.
“I believe that this should not be added to the catalog at this point,” O’Brien said. “The BAA has made itself very clear. The concerns they raised about the integrity, the parameters, the trademark issues, to me make it clear that this shouldn’t be in the catalog.”
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