Encore Boston Harbor is coughing up $40,000 in fines yet again for taking illegal bets on college hoops. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission slapped the casino yesterday after it accepted wagers on Boston College women's basketball games, despite state law explicitly prohibiting bets on most events involving state colleges.

Initially fined $10,000 for the same offense just last year, after the Bay State gave sports betting the green light, Encore seems to have dropped the ball—allowing wagers to sneak through on February 12 and February 19, 2023, despite the prohibition.

According to CBS Boston, the slip-up occurred when "certain identification numbers for B.C. women's basketball were not placed on a 'blacklist' to prevent betting." NBC Boston reported that an Encore vendor didn't properly blacklist all BC women’s basketball team events.

Comments from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission echoed the sentiment of reproach, stating, "Despite identifying the first noncompliance incident, Encore failed to resolve the underlying issue or put adequate guardrails in place, resulting in its immediate repetition," obtained by NBC Boston.

Moreover, the gaming regulators criticized Encore for their hasty temporary fix, which involved halting betting on all women’s college basketball rather than addressing the specific issue. This "sledgehammer" approach, as the commission termed it, reflected poorly on the casino's ability to craft nuanced solutions to protocol breaches.

The infractions involved a handful of bets, totaling $213, that slipped through at casino kiosks, leading to minor winnings for lucky bettors—but major headaches for the casino operator. While regulators expect operators to be on their A-game, this was clearly an instance of Encore missing the shot, faced with the Commission's scrutiny of their handling strategies.