Wagering on the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight will not be halted in the Bay State.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) decided to continue allowing betting markets for the Netflix-broadcasted exhibition boxing match set for Nov. 15.
The bout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, came under some question among regulators, but after hearing from Sports Betting Compliance and Operations manager Andrew Steffen on Thursday, none of the five commissioners made a motion to vote on prohibiting a market that’s already part of the state’s wagering rules.
“We talk about the illegal market and what drives folks to the illegal market,” MGC chair Jordan Maynard said during Thursday’s public meeting. “I think if we did ban this, especially as it falls currently under our rules today as approved … we would only be potentially moving people in Massachusetts to the illegal market on this fight.”
Paul, a 27-year-old social media influencer, boxer, and co-founder of Betr, is a -250 favorite at BetMGM. The bout was originally scheduled for July 20, but the retired and former heavyweight champion Tyson, 58, had health issues that postponed the event.
Seeking guidance
The fight is sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which is part of the Association of Boxing Commissions.
Under Massachusetts regulations, ABC matches, including amateur bouts, are allowed for betting in the Bay State.
Steffen said the MGC reached out to other legal U.S. sports betting states for guidance on allowing Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson odds on this event, which many decided they were.
However, he said Colorado had specific rules that wouldn’t allow betting markets for Tyson-Paul. Despite having rules allowing ABC bouts, Pennsylvania chose to prohibit event wagering because of the 31-year age gap between the boxers.
Nebraska regulators decided to amend their sports wagering rules to allow the exhibition fight’s markets to be offered in the Cornhusker State, Steffen said.
Integrity and health
The MGC also communicated with two integrity monitoring services about the validity of the fight.
“Both entities stated in similar wording that it would be unlikely that there would be any betting-related corruption due to the significant public popularity, fight purses, and the multiple millions for both fighters,” Steffen told the commissioners. “After extensive research and connecting with other jurisdictions as well as those integrity entities, it is our recommendation to let this event stand as approved for wagering.”
Three of the five commissioners said they opted to not challenge the wagering status because of specific rule changes that make the fight safer.
Tyson and Paul agreed to wear 14-ounce gloves, which are typically used for training and sparring, instead of the regulation 10-ounce gloves used in professional fights.
Up to eight rounds will last two minutes each instead of three minutes, which also appealed to the gaming commissioners. Vermont chose not to allow wagering on the fight due to these rule changes.
Not for long?
While the MGC was fine with bettors wagering on the Tyson-Paul fight this time, commissioner Eileen O’Brien said the group should “consider having parameters on this going forward.”
O’Brien called for a deeper conversation on “catch-all” sports and if the commission is “inviting risk by not having that conversation.”
Maynard, who was named full-time chair on Oct. 28, agreed that these exhibition, made-for-TV fights are worth another look by the MGC.
“I would support a more broader view of changes that could come to these types of events in the future,” Maynard said.
