- Office of the Attorney General
Media Contact
Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary
Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today announced that her office has released for comment updated Fantasy Contest Regulations to protect Massachusetts consumers from unfair and deceptive practices that may arise in connection with fantasy contests, while also safeguarding families from financial harms that can result from unaffordable losses.
“As fantasy contests and the online sports gaming landscape continue to evolve, our regulations must evolve with them,” said AG Campbell. “These updated regulations strengthen consumer protections, promote fairness, and assure Massachusetts residents that they can participate in fantasy contests knowing that appropriate safeguards are in place.”
Massachusetts’s existing “Daily Fantasy Sports” regulations were first issued in 2016, prior to the legalization of online sports betting. Since that time, much has changed within the online gaming industry. These regulations will update the outdated regulations, including by:
- Increasing requirements for responsible gaming tools, messaging and advertising, and youth protection;
- Creating a clearer definition of “fantasy contests” to distinguish fantasy contests from sports wagering;
- Strengthening operator requirements for registration, operations, and reporting;
- Clarifying requirements for data privacy and security;
- Requiring additional data retention;
- And updating terminology and definitions.
A “fantasy contest” is defined in state law as a skill-based game based on professional events, including sports, where prizes are predefined and winnings are not based on the outcome of a singular player, team, or event. The new regulations clarify that in fantasy contests, winnings are only paid out to participants and never kept by the operator.
In alignment with the state’s existing best practices, such as Sports Wagering requirements, the draft Fantasy Contest regulations ban players from using credit cards and crypto currency; require the implementation of player protections through self-imposed limits, cool-off periods, and an option to enroll in the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Voluntary Self-Exclusion program; ban auto-deposits and recommended deposit amounts; strengthen responsibility over advertisements to diminish underage targeting; and require the implementation of technology that prevents minors from accessing platforms.
The draft regulations may be viewed in their entirety here.
The AGO will host a public hearing on the draft regulations on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. For questions about the regulations or to sign up to testify in person or virtually at the public hearing, please contact AGOregs@mass.gov. Please be advised any comment submitted to the AGO is a public record in its entirety.
Chapter 93A, the state consumer protection statute, authorizes the Attorney General to promulgate regulations to protect consumers. These regulations can require that facilities make certain disclosures about their contractual terms, and they also can declare certain acts and practices to be unlawful.
The promulgation of these regulations is led by Assistant Attorney General Alda Chan of the AGO’s Consumer Protection Division; Assistant Attorneys General Louisa Castrucci and Joshua Edlin and Paralegal Payton Doan, all of the AGO’s Civil Gaming Enforcement Division; Chief Jared Rinehimer of the AGO’s Privacy and Responsible Technology Division; and Policy Coordinator Nia Johnson and Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Gray of the AGO’s Policy and Government Affairs Division.
Individuals who believe they have been subject to an unfair or deceptive business practice, including by a fantasy contest operator, may file a consumer complaint or call the Attorney General’s Consumer Hotline at 617-727-8400.
###
Media Contact
