Speros: The Hatfield and McCoy feud lives on in Massachusetts gaming commissioner

Jordan Maynard has both the Hatfields and McCoys in his DNA.

That’s a perfect combination for anyone in charge of overseeing legal sports betting in the Bay State.

A native of Pikeville, Kentucky, Maynard is the interim chief of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The MGC has the dual responsibility of protecting consumers from the ills of gambling while also fostering an ecosystem that allows legal, taxpaying sports books (and racetracks) to flourish. Thus diminishing the illegal gambling space.

Gov. Maura Healey appointed Maynard to his interim role after MGC Chair Cathy Judd-Stein retired last month.

All betting eyes were on Maynard’s home state Saturday, as the 150th Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Pikeville is the home of the infamous Hatfield-McCoy disagreement. It sits closer to West Virginia than Fenway Park does to Gillette Stadium.

Maynard says being related to both sides of America’s OG family feud “is why I’m self-conflicted.”

Growing up as the child of a teenage mother and 20-year-old father meant his childhood would have none of the patrician amenities enjoyed by those whose names often populate the top of state agency websites.

Maynard has lived and worked in Massachusetts for a decade. But he didn’t ride into state government on the coattails of his ancestors, through family connections, or as the result of lavish donations.

Maynard was raised by his grandparents in the Eastern Kentucky mountains. He was the first in his family to graduate from college or law school.

“I had to grow up quickly. I grew up with my parents almost like they were siblings. I grew up like somebody who is a generation ahead, and I was the first in my family to go to college. And people hear that, and they say, ‘Oh, OK, who wasn’t? Well, in parts of Eastern Kentucky, it’s still a big deal to go to college and definitely the first to be an attorney, first to pass the bar,” Maynard told me for bookies.com.

“And all along the way in these steps, still, people told me how I couldn’t make it. And at each stage I worked really, really hard to ensure that I could make it right. And so this was just another piece of my life. I am interested in what I’m doing. I love what I’m doing.”

Maynard’s first day of his five-year term on the Gaming Commission fell on August 1, 2022. He reported to work on Federal Street less than 4 hours after State and House negotiators had agreed to the framework of what became the Sports Wagering Act.

“Before I even knew where the restrooms were, I walked into my office and (the sports betting bill) was sitting on my desk.”

Maynard was Gov. Charlie Baker’s chief secretary and director of Boards and Commissions. Baker, Healey, and State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg chose Maynard for the MGC spot two years ago. The gig was set aside for “an individual with experience in the legal and policy issues related to gaming.”

Gov. Healey’s office will “continue its search for a permanent chair.”

But for now, the job is Maynard’s.

Massachusetts provided perhaps the most fertile ground for legal sports betting of any jurisdiction in America.

“Soon to be 36,” Maynard sits atop a state agency that has seen legal sports betting go from proposed legislation to a $6.811 billion industry in less than two years. In March,  $654.9 million in bets were legally placed and paid at the state’s seven legal online and three casino-based retail sportsbooks.

The Commonwealth has collected more than $127.7 million in revenue from legal sports betting since it began in early 2023. Initial estimates saw $60-$70 million per year.

With the rise of legal sports betting, Bay Staters have been bombarded with endless TV spots, seen an increase in the awareness of problem gambling that was often ignored, and begun to struggle with concerns about how both legal and illegal online betting can adversely affect younger bettors. Several operators have been fined for violating state laws and regulations. More cases of alleged violations are being investigated. The state also has multiple unused retail and mobile licenses.

Still, most in the industry see Massachusetts as a “success.” How does Maynard see it?

“It’s actually very complex when you start to administer all the different work that we do. How do we make sure that we’re balancing the interest of making sure that there is a legal market, a robust legal market, versus how are we protecting consumers? How are we in ensuring that the revenue that goes to the commonwealth is what we expected it to be? Or exceeding expectations,” Maynard said.

“But it always starts with ‘let’s maximize the benefit. Let’s minimize the harm.’  And if we strike that balance, that is — to this one commissioner — a success.”

There’s always room for improvement.

“The operators have been extremely nimble with us. They have been really, really good about ensuring that they’ve been partners with the MGC. We don’t always see eye to eye, but that happens in any relationship. We, as an entire industry, and I won’t put it just on the operator, I’ll put it on everybody, have to make sure that we are thinking about those gamblers who really have a problem.”

Bill Speros (@RealOBF and @BillSperos) is a Senior Betting Analyst for bookies.com when he’s not writing for the Herald. He can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com.