Amendment #31 to H4743

Aligning and Modernizing Gaming and Sportsbetting Responsible Gaming Protections

Mr. Scanlon of North Attleborough moves to amend the bill by adding the following section:

“Section XXXX. Chapter 23K of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 29 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 29. (a) A gaming establishment offering a cashless wagering system shall allow individuals to monitor and impose betting limits on their cashless wagering. The gaming establishment shall allow individuals to set betting limits on their cashless wagering including, but not limited to, per bet limits, hourly limits, daily limits, weekly limits and monthly limits. An individual may lower limits and increase limits; provided, however, that the individual shall not increase betting limits more than once in a 24-hour period.

(b) The gaming establishment shall issue to each patron who has been issued a rewards card or who participates in a cashless wagering system by the gaming establishment a monthly statement, mailed to the patron at the patron's physical mailing address, which shall include the patron's total bets, wins and losses; provided, however, that a patron shall be given the opportunity to decline receiving a monthly statement at the time the rewards card is issued or during initial participation in a cashless wagering system; provided further, that a patron may later opt out of receiving monthly statements by providing a written request to cease monthly statements to the gaming establishment.

(c) The gaming establishment shall issue to each patron who has been issued a rewards card or who participates in a cashless wagering system by the gaming establishment an electronic weekly statement, sent to their email address collected when the rewards card was issued or when the player was enrolled in cashless wagering system, and sent to their smartphone via notification from the gaming establishment’s app if downloaded by the patron, with the default setting of the app set to allow this notification; this electronic statement shall include the patron's total bets, wins and losses; provided however, that a patron shall be given the opportunity to decline to receive the electronic monthly statement by email or turn off the notification at the time the rewards card is issued or during initial participation in a cashless wagering system; provided further, that a patron may later opt out of receiving the electronic monthly statement by email through use of a link to unsubscribe from the statement in the email, and that a patron may also later turn off the monthly statement notification from the gaming establishment’s app.

(d) A gaming licensee who has implemented such a program or system shall annually report to the commission the amount of money spent and lost by patrons who have been issued a rewards card or who participated in a cashless wagering system, aggregated by zip code. Activity under this section shall be monitored by the commission. Individuals on the list of excluded persons shall not be permitted to participate in a cashless wagering system.

(e) A gaming establishment shall ask each patron who has been issued a rewards card or who participates in a cashless wagering system by the gaming establishment at the time they are issued the rewards card or enrolled in the cashless wagering system to set a spending limit for a daily, weekly or monthly basis and enroll in a play management program approved by the Commission, including but not limited to Play-My-Way, or to opt-out of such a play management program.

(f) A gaming establishment shall issue to each patron who has been issued a rewards card or who participates in a cashless wagering system by the gaming establishment a hard, paper copy of a brochure that contains all information and resources made available by the state and the Commission to help with problem gambling, including but not limited to Gamesense, PlayMyWay, and Voluntary Self-Exclusion. A gaming establishment shall have available at all times of operation a certified health counselor or other licensed professional trained in addiction, gambling addiction or other addiction related issues to speak with any patron who requests it.”;

and moves further to add the following section:-

“Section XXXX. Section 12 of Chapter 23N of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following subsection:-

(h) (1) A sports wagering operator or qualified gaming entity shall allow individuals to monitor and impose betting limits on their wagers. The operator or qualified gaming entity shall allow individuals to set betting limits on their sports wagers including, but not limited to, per bet limits, hourly limits, daily limits, weekly limits and monthly limits. An individual may lower limits and increase limits; provided, however, that the individual shall not increase betting limits more than once in a 24-hour period.  The operator or qualified gaming entity shall ask individuals at the time that they first register and create an account on the platform for the purpose of making wagers to set a spending limit for a daily, weekly or monthly basis and enroll in a play management program defined pursuant to section 2 of Chapter 23K and approved by the Commission, including but not limited to Play-My-Way, or to opt out of such a play management program.

(2) The operator or qualified gaming entity shall issue to each patron who has been issued a rewards card or who participates in a cashless wagering system by the gaming establishment a monthly statement, mailed to the patron at the patron's physical mailing address, which shall include the patron's total bets, wins and losses; provided, however, that a patron shall be given the opportunity to decline receiving a monthly statement at the time the rewards card is issued or during initial participation in a cashless wagering system; provided further, that a patron may later opt out of receiving monthly statements by providing a written request to cease monthly statements to the operator or qualified gaming entity.

(3) The operator or qualified gaming entity shall issue to each patron who has been issued a rewards card or who participates in a cashless wagering system by the operator or qualified gaming entity an electronic weekly statement, sent to their email address, collected when the rewards card was issued or when the player was enrolled in cashless wagering system, and sent to their smartphone via notification from the operator’s or qualified gaming entity’s app if downloaded by the patron.  The operator or qualified gaming entity shall ensure the default setting of the app allows notification of the electronic weekly statement.  The electronic weekly statement shall include the patron's total bets, wins and losses.  The operator or qualified gaming entity shall allow a patron the opportunity to: (i) decline to receive the electronic weekly statement by email or turn off the notification at the time the rewards card is issued or during initial participation in a cashless wagering system; (ii) opt out of receiving the electronic weekly statement by email through use of a link to unsubscribe from the statement in the email, and (iii) turn off the weekly statement notification from the operator’s or qualified gaming entity’s app. (4) An operator or qualified gaming entity licensed pursuant to this chapter that has implemented such a program or system shall annually report to the commission the amount of money spent and lost by patrons who have been issued a rewards card or who participated in a cashless wagering system, aggregated by zip code. Activity under this section shall be monitored by the commission. Individuals on the list of excluded persons shall not be permitted to participate in a cashless wagering system.  Furthermore, an operator or qualified gaming entity shall issue to each patron who has been issued a rewards card or who participates in a cashless wagering system by the operator or qualified gaming entity a hard, paper copy of a brochure that contains all information and resources made available by the state and the Commission to help with problem gambling, including but not limited to Gamesense, PlayMyWay, and Voluntary Self-Exclusion.

(5) Furthermore, an operator or qualified gaming entity shall have available at all times of operation a certified health counselor or other licensed professional trained in addiction, gambling addiction or other addiction related issues to speak with any patron who requests it.”;

and moves further to amend the bill by adding the following section:-

“Section XXXX. Section 2 of chapter 23K is hereby amended by inserting after the definition “Person” the following definition:-

“play management program”, a program maintained by the Commission or a gaming establishment or a sports wagering operator, as that term is defined in section 3 of chapter 23N, that allows individuals who maintain a cashless wagering system or a sports wagering account, as that term is defined in said section 3 of said chapter 23N, to designate themselves as subject to limitations regarding wagering and notifications regarding progress towards those limitations. Limitations regarding wagering shall be 1 or more of the following: (i) placing a wager over a specified dollar amount with a gaming establishment or a sports wagering operator; (ii) placing a wager once an individual has, during a day, week or month, wagered a specified cumulative dollar amount; or (iii) depositing an amount into the individual's account once the individual has, during a day, week or month, deposited a specified cumulative amount into the individual's account.