The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) opened a formal review on September 24, 2026 into how DraftKings and other licensed sportsbooks use artificial intelligence and machine learning to segment players, design promotions and manage risk, following concerns over whether these tools could increase the exposure of vulnerable consumers.
The directive came from Jordan Maynard, Chairman of the MGC, who asked Executive Director Dean Serpa to have Commission staff contact DraftKings directly and also examine the practices of all authorized operators. Maynard was originally appointed Interim Chair in March 2024 and was formally designated permanent Chairman of the Commission by Governor Maura Healey on September 22, 2026.
Dean Serpa
The review was triggered after an investigation based on roughly 40 former employees, internal documents, Slack messages and betting records. Among the concepts highlighted was “elasticity,” a metric used to estimate how much more a customer might wager when presented with certain promotions. The MGC stressed that there is still no finding of wrongdoing and no sanction has been imposed. Commissioner Paul Brodeur described the information as troubling and warned that AI could be used to exploit consumer vulnerabilities, while also acknowledging that these technologies are already embedded across many customer-facing industries.
Maura Healey
The Commission is made up of Jordan Maynard, Eileen O’Brien, Nakisha Skinner and Paul Brodeur. Its executive structure includes Carrie Torrisi, Chief of Sports Wagering; Mark Vander Linden, Director of Research and Responsible Gaming; Caitlin Monahan, Director of Investigations and Enforcement Bureau; Kevin Scanlon, General Counsel; and Derek Lennon, CFO.
Massachusetts had already been studying the technology. In November 2025, the MGC published the AI and Player Risk Identification and Response Research Report with the International Gaming Institute at UNLV, presented by Kasra Ghaharian, which identified payment data and financial behavior as relevant indicators for detecting gambling risk. Sports betting was legalized through House Bill 5163, signed on August 10, 2022, and codified in Chapter 23N. The Boston-based MGC oversees licensing, compliance, consumer protection and responsible gaming.
