Commission moves to finalize regulatory edits removing GameSense references

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on April 29 scheduled final action on amendments to two regulations that remove references to GameSense, the agency’s former responsible-gaming program.

Jenna, a Commission staff member, asked commissioners to bring forward final amendments to 205 CMR 133.02 and 205 CMR 147.03. "These are the regulations that removed references to GameSense, our the commission's former responsible gaming program," she said, and noted that the regulations were reviewed on March 12 and that a public hearing on April 21 produced no written or oral comments.

The request was presented for a short time allotment; staff and commissioners estimated the discussion would take about 10–15 minutes. Commissioners did not register objections to moving the item forward for final consideration. The Commission did not take a final vote on the amendments during the April 29 agenda-setting meeting; the item was placed on an upcoming business agenda for final review and action.

Why it matters: GameSense was the Commission’s prior responsible-gaming program that is being removed from the cited regulations; the amendment cleans up regulatory references and completes a rulemaking step begun earlier this year. Because the public hearing produced no comments, staff recommended prompt finalization.

Next steps: The Commission will consider the final regulatory language on a business meeting agenda (dates set during the agenda-setting session). If adopted, the regulatory text for 205 CMR 133.02 and 205 CMR 147.03 will be updated to omit references to GameSense.