Massachusetts Launches PlayWell RG App, Among Regulatory Movements

In recognition of Problem Gambling Awareness Month – March – The Massachusetts Gaming Commission launched PlayWell. This is a unique gambling app that provides training on games, resources to help people play responsibly, and extensions to a voluntary self-exclusion program that applies to all landbased casinos, and sports betting apps statewide. What makes it stand out is that PlayWell is not a mandatory app or connected to a register that you are forced to become a part of. It is completely voluntary, that is, as a player.

Operators will have to adopt PlayWell in their responsible gambling tools and messaging. These apps must be fully integrated into their network of operations, meaning if you use the self-exclusion services at PlayWell, then you won’t be able to open a betting site, nor walk through the doors of a landbased gambling venue. It is the second such app that the MGC have rolled out, ten years after it launched PlayMyWay, an opt-in voluntary budgeting app for gamers. These tools no doubt help to spread the MGC’s messages on responsible gambling, at a time when the authority is looking into affordability checks and harm caused by VIP programs, cracking down on sweepstakes casinos, rolling out new lottery products, and is nearing a potential iGaming bill.

PlayWell Following PlayMyWay

PlayWell is offered to players in Massachusetts, and it provides education, practical tools, and contact to support lines, advisors, and the self-exclusion program. The education part is really designed for beginners, or anyone who is not fully familiar with all types of casino games and pari-mutuel sports betting.

It has guides for blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, slots, poker, parimutuel betting and sports betting. These clear up the terminologies, explain the different types of bets and wagers, and explain concepts from house edge to game etiquette. What’s pretty cool is that it unpacks various betting systems and strategies, and doesn’t overload with its information.

How PlayWell Works

Whether you want to understand how fixed paylines work and effect your slots bankroll, or learn the difference between soft and hard hands in blackjack, PlayWell has lots of resources to dispense. You also get interactive elements such as a truth vs gambling myths quiz and a cost of play calculator.

But perhaps the most powerful aspect of the cheerful looking app is its general responsible gambling resources, intriguing resources revolving the typical vulnerabilities people may have to gambling, and its self-exclusion tool. You can read about all kinds of gambling fallacies, from the downward spiral that starts with chasing your losses, to the misleading high that gamers get from near misses, and everything in between.

If you want to self exclude on PlayWell, you can access the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Voluntary Self Exclusion tool through the app. You can choose to exclude from sports betting, physical landbased US casinos, or both (dual self exclusion). Exclusion starts from 1 year and can extend to as long as you need. The only thing you can’t do is set an exclusion time and then reduce it before the term is up. This program is supported by all the licensed betting operators, licensed land-based casinos, and gambling facilities.

What is PlayMyWay

PlayMyWay is nearing its 10th anniversary, and this app was designed to be a handy budget controller. It can track your spending and send you notifications when you burn through predetermined sums of money, to keep you aware of your gross spending at a casino. It was made in 2016, way before Massachusetts legalized sports betting. PlayMyWay is adopted at Plainridge Park Casino, MGM Springfield, and Encore Boston Harbor, and to start you just enroll, set a budget, and then play a slot machine ot at a PlayMyWay kiosk.

You get notified when you clear 75% of your target budget, and then you get alerts for every further 25% intervals, reaching 100%, 125%, and so on. The tool is designed exclusively for Massachusetts casinos, and for electronic gaming machines including slots or video poker. It works with daily, weekly and monthly spending limits, and the smart tool can also measure how much money comes in. This way, your job of keeping track of the money going into the slot machines, and the money coming to you is all tracked. This service, like PlayWell, is also completely voluntary for gamers.

Responsible Gambling in Massachusetts

Launching these kinds of apps is a smart move from the MGC, as it makes responsible gambling more efficient, and does so in a non intrusive way for players. The latter is something European regulators often get criticized for. They tend to come up with tighter responsible gambling measures, but instead of forcing only the operators to comply, they introduce measures that directly impact players. Whether they like it or not. The UK Gambling Commission, for instance, has strict player protection laws that include affordability checks and caps on the maximum deposits that players can make. Though these deposit limits are pretty generous, which cannot be said of the laws in countries like Germany, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.

In Germany, you get a strict €1,000 deposit cap across all operators, and you cannot exceed that limit unless you comply with strict affordability checks. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain have deposit limits on how much you can send into an iGaming account, varying from €500 up to €1,500 per month. In Germany you also have strict rules on games – like the €1 max stake on slot spins, minimum 5 second slot rounds and autoplay is completely banned.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission measures are nowhere near as restrictive, which is a breath of fresh air. They have a voluntary self exclusion register, much like Ontario recently launched, only the Ontarian register is handled by iGaming Ontario and doesn’t include landbased casinos in Ontario (which are managed by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation). The Massachusetts Gaming Commission extends the self exclusion to both landbased casinos and online sports betting (remember iGaming is not legal in MA right now).

Landbased Gambling and Sports Betting Scene

Massachusetts has 3 landbased casinos in operation, racetracks and slots parlors, the state run lottery, and it is a hot destination for casino cruises.

• Encore Boston Harbor: Wynn Resorts
• MGM Springfield: MGM Resorts International
• Plainridge Park Casino: Penn x Gaming & Leisure Properties
• First Light Casino (still being constructed, partially opened)

There are two more casinos planned, the Aquinnah Cliffs Casino which would be headed by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, and the First Light Casino & Resort, which the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe would run. The First Light Casino, a tribal casino run by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, opened a small section of its floor, with 200 games, It is still being constructed, with a projected 3,000+ slots, 150+ table games and 40 poker tables. The full resort has no grand opening date for the time being.

The landbased gambling scene is quite limited, especially if you compare it with Massachusetts ‘ legal sports betting scene, which has 7 licensed operators.

• DraftKings
• Penn Sports
• Fanatics
• Bally Bet
• FanDuel
• Caesars
• BetMGM

DraftKings, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts, is a local firm.

VIP Limits, Higher Legal Age, Affordability Checks, and Other Proposals

While Massachusetts has a competitive market, the Gaming Commission is highly active in keeping the player safety and fairness standards up to scratch. It is currently investigating the impacts of VIP and loyalty programs, and exploring how these can be limited to deter sports bettors and gamers from developing addictive habits. In March, the regulators proposed to increase the legal required age for sportsbook VIP programs to 25 years old. It is quite a unique proposal to raise the age limit for VIP programs, but having covered a similar initiative.

The Kentucky hearing to raise the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21. And before that, seeing a report about the number of underage teen gamblers in the US, Massachusetts looks to be covering its bases and limiting the exposure to younger gamblers.

Another measure that they are pushing is more clarity on sportsbook limits, with a grace period to inform bettors that their accounts will be limited, and proper explanations on why the sportsbook suspends or limits their accounts.

They are also considering introducing affordability checks for these high spenders, signaling a shift towards monitoring player behavior and introducing regulatory safeguards on those who spend more money on their wagers.

Sweeps Ban and Potential iGaming Bill

Among the likes of Nevada, New Jersey, California, Michigan, Washington and New York, which have banned sweepstakes, Massachusetts is actively looking to shut down these operations this year. It is also weighing up the possibility of legalizing online casinos like New York and others. These two movements seem to be sweeping across America right now, as more states are getting rid of the unregulated and virtual currency sweepstakes casinos, and replacing them with licensed, real money online casinos. Maine was the last to legalize iGaming, becoming the 8th state with regulated online casinos.

But there are many more in the pipeline, as momentum builds up. The spread of legal sports betting, currently at 39 states with more on the horizon like Hawaii, has just created the foundations for iGaming, establishing licensing frameworks and regulatory bodies. Massachusetts, which is among the bigger sports betting states in America, could benefit tremendously from opening its doors to legal online casinos. And with initiatives like PlayWell and PlayMyWay, it is cautiously raising public awareness of the dangers of gambling, creating a safer environment for all.