Massachusetts regulator reports dozens of prediction market inquiries

Massachusetts residents have sent dozens of inquiries about prediction markets to the state's gambling regulator, a Massachusetts Gaming Commission spokesperson told Gambling Insider in a report published November 11. The commission says it does not regulate the platforms and directs consumers to the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The spokesperson said they had personally seen the inquiries in a general inbox monitored by their team. They could not immediately provide an exact count or say how many messages involved customer disputes. The commission did not identify any operators or say whether the CFTC subsequently helped the consumers.

MGC Chair Jordan Maynard raised the issue during a November 11 hearing of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development on sports gambling on college campuses. He said consumers call the commission seeking help with disputes involving companies that it does not regulate and that have not applied for a sports wagering license.

Maynard said customers may struggle to distinguish sports prediction markets from state-licensed sportsbooks. The calls he described are not necessarily the same inquiries seen by the spokesperson in the commission's inbox.

Prediction market exchanges are subject to federal commodities laws and CFTC oversight. Maynard argued that the federal framework lacks the same sports wagering protections required in Massachusetts. His written testimony said licensed operators had returned nearly $10 million to customers after operator errors, while 39 enforcement actions involving monetary penalties resulted in operators paying more than $1 million to the Commonwealth.

Massachusetts prohibits sportsbooks from taking proposition bets on individual college players, a restriction intended in part to protect student-athletes from gambling-related harassment and pressure. Maynard told Congress that prediction market platforms offer contracts tied to individual college athletes.

The state has sued Kalshi, alleging that its sports contracts constitute unlicensed wagering. Massachusetts obtained a preliminary injunction in January 2026, which Kalshi challenged, arguing that its contracts fall under federal commodities jurisdiction.

Maynard urged Congress to preserve state and tribal authority over sports wagering, prohibit college player proposition bets and invest in independent research into gambling-related harm. Gambling Insider said it had contacted Kalshi and the CFTC for comment.