Massachusetts Regulators Remove Controversial Boxing Association From Sports Betting Catalogue

Aug 18, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran (16) at the plate during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY SportsThe Massachusetts Gaming Commission agreed to remove International Boxing Association events from its sports betting catalogueThe boxing association has been under investigation from the International Olympics CommitteeThe Massachusetts sports event catalogue does not allow wagers on any event or league overseen by a Russian or Belarusian governing body

A controversial boxing association and its sanctioned events have been stripped from the Massachusetts sports betting catalogue.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission unanimously agreed to remove the International Boxing Association (IBA) and any of its event from the Massachusetts sports betting catalogue due to the commission’s policy to disallow “wagers on any event or league overseen by a Russian or Belarusian governing body or body headquartered in Russia or Belarus.”

The IBA is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, but has moved most of its operations to Russia since the Dec. 12, 2020, election of current IBA President Umar Kremlev.

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IBA Faced Recent Olympic Controversy

The IBA was included in the initial MGC approval of the sports betting catalogue last year.

The MGC has disallowed sports betting on events involving Russian or Belarusian governing bodies since the escalation of the Ukraine/Russia war in 2022. The IBA is the last international sports body still overseen by a Russian citizen and the only one to allow Russian athletes to fight under their flag and play their national anthem.

Any outstanding bets on the IBA in the state will be cancelled and refunded to sports betting users.

Since 1946, the IBA has governed boxing in all official Olympic capacities. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) barred the IBA from overseeing Olympic boxing events beginning with the 2020 Tokyo games after concerns were raised over its governance, financial management, and integrity.

The IBA also found itself in the middle of a controversy over the recent Olympic games in France. Questions over Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s gender arose during the games after one of her opponents abandoned their match just 46-seconds into the fight.

After the match, false reports began to circulate that Khelif is a transgender woman, mainly based on her disqualification from the IBA’s 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi. The IBA disqualified her from the championships when it claimed she failed to meet unspecified eligibility tests for participating in the women’s event.

The IOC ruled Khelif met all requirements to participate in the Olympics. She eventually won gold in the women’s welterweight event.

July Sports Betting Posts Strong Numbers

Massachusetts posted strong July sports betting numbers, as the state reported $411,791,698 in total sports betting handle for the month. The licensed operators reported $41.2 million in taxable gaming revenue for the month, which led to the state collecting $8,187,324 in sports betting tax revenue.

DraftKings again led the way in the commonwealth, reported $202.07 million in online sports betting handle for the month, tops in the state. Massachusetts collected more than $4.06 million in tax revenue from DraftKings in July.

FanDuel reported $119.9 million in online sports betting handle and $2.57 million in tax revenues to the state.

Here are the full online sports betting numbers for July:

DraftKings: $202,073,080.92 handle, $4,062,660.96 tax revenueFanDuel: $119,939,122.40 handle, $2,572,471.17 tax revenueBetMGM: $27,542,533.10 handle, $552,023.26 tax revenueFanatics: $20,952,662.51 handle, $446,618.32 tax revenueESPN BET: $19,055,137.85 handle, $297,328.17 tax revenueCaesars Sportsbook: $13,231,280.39 handle, $182,944.55 tax revenueBally Bet: $2,419,752.03 handle, $23,050.02 tax revenue