Montana Lottery Reveals Proposed Sports Betting Rules for Public Consultation

The Montana lottery has released its draft sports wagering regulations for public comment. The lottery is planning to launch legal sports wagering by the end of 2019.

The draft regulations state that sports wagering may be offered, “whenever the director, with the commission’s concurrence, finds it feasible and in the state’s best interest.”

“The sports wagering law passed in May and we’ve been working hard ever since to build something Montanans will be excited about. We’ve got a lot to share with Montanans, but the first step is making sure their voices are heard as we move forward,” lottery director Angela Wong said.

The new draft regulations to be put in place would allow for anonymous retail sports betting, in order to “allow persons who are new to sports wagering the ability to experience sports betting without providing personal information.” However, all mobile wagering must be account-based, and retail players will still have to verify their identity before they can bet.

The regulations also provide for a voluntary self-exclusion programme, as well as the option to set personal deposit, spending and time limits. Players must be aged 18 or above to place a bet. Under the regulations, any accounts which do not place a bet for 18 months must be closed.

The public consultation period will be open for at least 30 days, with a public hearing scheduled for October 28.