Massachusetts Bans Betting on International Boxing Association Events
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has banned betting on events sanctioned by the International Boxing Association (IBA) in the state.
Betting on IBA boxing events banned in Massachusetts.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The change comes after a number of troubling years for the IBA, which has faced allegations of corruption and a lack of transparency under its current president, Umar Kremlev. Many of the issues were highlighted during the recent Paris Olympics, where Kremlev made controversial remarks about two female athletes.
MGC Challenges IBA’s Controversial History
While the MGC has not given specific reasons for the suspension, various reports suggest that the commission is concerned with the IBA’s public support of Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine. Therefore, betting on events that the IBA runs is now prohibited in Massachusetts, with operators required to comply with the ruling immediately. Any pending bets will be cancelled, and refunds issued to players.
However, the IBA’s political stance isn’t the sole factor behind the decision. The MGC, along with other gaming regulators across the United States, has primarily responded to worries about potential cheating and match-fixing within the IBA rather than the personal beliefs of the association’s members.
Additionally, the MGC has stated that any events supervised by Russian or Belarusian authorities will also be barred from betting markets. Although the IBA is a prominent player in international boxing, major organizations such as the IBF, WBO, WBC, and WBA operate independently and will remain available for betting.
The IBA is the last international sports federation still run by a Russian citizen and the only one to allow athletes from Russia to fight under their flag and play their national anthem.
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Political Considerations Influence the Decision
State regulators, including the MGC, have the authority to exclude specific events from betting markets at their discretion. For instance, in Nevada, esports betting was only permitted on a case-by-case basis due to concerns about the governance of competitive video gaming.
In Massachusetts, the decision to ban IBA-sanctioned events reflects a combination of political and competitive factors. The MGC previously expressed similar concerns with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which initially failed to implement sufficient safeguards against betting by its members but later introduced new regulations to address this issue.
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