Posted on: December 9, 2024, 02:42h.
Last updated on: December 9, 2024, 02:55h.
Gaming regulators in New Jersey have fined a since-terminated sportsbook for taking bets on sporting events that had already concluded.
In an order recently made public dated November 19 signed by New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) Interim Director Mary Jo Flaherty, the William Hill Sportsbook was fined a civil penalty of $20K for its regulatory shortcomings. The settlement agreement stems from February 2022 until April 2023 when William Hill permitted wagering on sporting events after the outcomes of the events were already known.
William Hill was the sportsbook operator for several casinos in Atlantic City, including Caesars Entertainment’s three properties — Caesars, Harrah’s, and Tropicana. William Hill also formerly operated a sportsbook inside Ocean.
The DGE settlement deals with 42 in-person bets made at William Hill’s self-service sportsbook kiosks placed on February 23 and Feb. 24, 2022. The bad bets involved 12 college basketball games. Bettors were allowed to keep betting on the games even after the second-half game clock hit zero.
Third-Party Blamed
In the settlement terms, William Hill acknowledged paying out more than $5K in supposedly winning bets on the college hoops games in question before the sportsbook became aware of the error.
The other bets were subsequently voided and customers had their original stakes refunded. William Hill said its third-party book supplier, OpenBet, was responsible for the error. In June 2022, William Hill also took bets on two boxing fights that had already been determined.
Having considered the remedial action taken by William Hill in response to these violations and having considered the Stipulation of Settlement which the parties executed and finding sufficient legal and factual support for the recommended penalty therein, I hereby order that the settlement be adopted,” Flaherty wrote.
The $20K fine will be directed to the DGE’s Revenue Unit. The William Hill sportsbooks at Caesars, Harrah’s, and Tropicana have since been rebranded to Caesars Sportsbook. Ocean terminated its Caesars sports betting partnership after a 50% stake in the Boardwalk property was sold in 2021 to Ilitch Holdings, the parent company of Little Caesars that additionally owns Detroit’s MotorCity Casino. Ocean’s sportsbook is now run by Fanatics.
Similar Fine
The DGE revoked the sports wagering license for PlayUp in the summer of 2023 after the online sportsbook licensed through a partnership with the Freehold Raceway failed to make payroll. The company didn’t respond to the DGE’s request for financial information about its fiscal health and therefore its license was rescinded.
In a separate director’s order, the DGE and PlayUp’s sports betting provider, Amelco, agreed to a $10K settlement to resolve regulatory violations. The DGE said Amelco and its operational partner, Sportradar, wrongly allowed a bet on the 2024 presidential election.
Election betting isn’t permitted in the United States through any licensed sportsbook. The bet in question was a $1 wager on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg becoming the 47th president. The bet was later voided and refunded.
The PlayUp Sportsbook also accepted two bets on basketball games involving Seton Hall University in direct violation of New Jersey’s sports betting law that prohibits betting on games involving in-state colleges.
