Bruce Band, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s director of sports wagering, is retiring.
Commissioners discussed Band’s retirement at the MGC’s Aug. 29 public meeting, which Band said would be his last. Band joined the MGC in 2014 and has more than 45 years of experience in regulatory and casino operations.
Three weeks ago, the MGC posted a job listing to find a new “division chief” for the sports wagering division.
Bruce Band retires from Massachusetts Gaming Commission
Band was enlisted to lead the MGC’s then-new Sports Wagering Division in January of 2023. Band helped launch Massachusetts sports betting, which went live shortly after he took the director position. In his role, Band was in charge of managing and overseeing the regulation of both retail and digital sports wagering in the Commonwealth.
MGC interim chair Jordan Maynard called Band “a living legend” and “the engine of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.”
Maynard said:
“We’re getting ready to hit $2 billion in tax revenue (from gaming) that’s went back to the Commonwealth. That money can be traced back to a lot of work that Bruce has done and we’re forever grateful for his service. There have been many people in the Commonwealth who have benefited from it.”
Commissioner Brad Hill further thanked Band, saying:
“I want to thank you for your years of service here. When you think back over the past 10 years of what’s happened here and the thumbprint that you have put not only on our brick-and-mortars but on our sports wagering world, it’s something that I don’t think would have happened without your knowledge and certainly without the education you gave all of us through your history . . . The stories that you have locked in that head of yours — you should write a book. You should share those stories. For anybody who loves casinos and the stories that go with them, yours are the best.”
Band retires after over 45 years in gaming space
According to the MGC, Band had a role in opening nearly 20 New Jersey and Massachusetts casinos throughout his career.
A graduate of George Washington University, Band began his career with the New Jersey Gaming Commission in 1978. There, he served as principal inspector for a little over 30 years.
After leaving the New Jersey commission, he joined Nebraska-based software solutions company 21st Century Systems, Inc. (21CSi), where he worked as the director of casino solutions related to casino safety, surveillance and information systems.
Before joining the MGC, Band founded his own consulting firm, Bruce E. Band Consulting. His first position with the MGC in 2014 was as the assistant director of the commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau, a role he kept for eight years before being tasked to lead the sports wagering division.
Band was also featured in the 2011 National Geographic channel documentary Casino Wars, for which he also served as a consultant. In the documentary, Band discussed casino surveillance software he helped develop at 21CSi. The software created profiles of casino visitors and used algorithms to track unusual gambling behavior.
The Sports Wagering Division Chief position remains open at the MGC, with no word yet on who might serve as Band’s replacement.
