Massachusetts Chair Says Prediction Market Users Seek State Help
Massachusetts Gaming Commission chair Jordan Maynard says consumers are asking his office for help with sports prediction markets they mistakenly believe it regulates.
His November 11, 2026 testimony to a US House subcommittee describes regular requests for rules clarification, consumer protection relief and responsible gaming assistance.
The account puts a practical question at the centre of the debate over US prediction markets: which regulator can respond when a customer needs help, rather than simply which products an app offers.
In his written testimony, Maynard argued that state-licensed sports wagering and prediction market platforms operate without the same consumer safeguards required.
He presented the contacts as evidence of confusion over the commission's authority, without publishing the total number of inquiries.
What Consumers Are Asking For
Maynard said the commission receives reports from people who assume its oversight extends to sports prediction markets.
The requests cover both explanations of the rules and help with consumer protection or responsible gaming issues.
He argued that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is not equipped to provide the same sports wagering oversight as state gambling regulators.
That is the Massachusetts chair's assessment of the federal system, not an announcement that his agency has acquired authority over prediction market platforms.
His testimony did not identify the operators involved in those consumer contacts, give an inquiry-by-inquiry breakdown or describe the outcomes of individual complaints.
It therefore does not establish how many requests involved a financial dispute.
The State Protections Maynard Cited
Maynard contrasted those contacts with enforcement against Massachusetts licensees. He said investigations had led to 39 enforcement actions carrying monetary penalties, with operators paying more than $1 million to the Commonwealth.
Operators had also returned nearly $10 million to customers for errors attributable to the licensee.
He set out other requirements of the state's sports wagering system, including a minimum age of 21 and daily, weekly and monthly deposit and wager limits.
According to the testimony, required age-verification technology had prevented at least 11,000 attempts by under-21s to establish accounts.
Massachusetts also prohibits proposition bets on individual college athletes and restricts advertising on college campuses.
Maynard argued that these state requirements should not be circumvented by sports contracts offered as prediction-market products.
A Call For Federal And State Cooperation
The chair urged regulators to prohibit college-player proposition bets and to invest in nationwide prevention research.
He favoured state-based sports wagering regulation while also supporting federal engagement, information sharing and cooperation across state lines.
For consumers, the immediate distinction in his testimony is between a product's appearance and the authority responsible for it.
The commission's account of incoming requests does not, by itself, change that division or create a new complaint-resolution process for prediction market customers.
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