New Jersey has sanctioned bet365 for the second time in a month, this time for taking bets on events that had already happened as well as some games that weren’t approved for wagering.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has fined the British sportsbook $33,000 as punishment for numerous instances between February 2022 and January 2023 in which it mistakenly took bettors’ money on events that had already happened.
Documentation made available to SBC Americas by the Attorney General’s office illustrated the extent of the incidents.
In February 2022, pre-match odds on a college basketball game between Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas-Little Rock were still available despite the start of the game having been moved an hour earlier.
Two weeks later, the same thing happened for a Honda Golf Classic event, when pre-game odds were still available for bettors to play for four hours after the event had started. On the same day as that instance, bet365 took bets on two mixed martial arts (MMA) fights after they had ended. The DGE cited numerous other instances in which similar errors occurred, such as a Professional Fighters League match that had been held a week earlier.
In addition, the DGE said bet365 took bets on multiple non-competitive European soccer matches that were not approved for betting by New Jersey gambling regulators. The sportsbook also accepted customers’ money on Rutgers University’s football team despite the fact that New Jersey prohibits wagering on in-state college teams.
bet365 voided most of the bets, totaling over $257,000, and returned the staked money to customers. However, the state said that in one case, it changed the odds before paying off winning bets without getting approval from regulators. DGE Interim Director Mary Jo Flaherty said that the division agreed to settle with bet365 after the sportsbook took “remedial action” to resolve the situation.
The DGE said bet365 cited human error in incorrectly loading event start times, as well as software malfunctions, as reasons for the mistakes. SBC Americas reached out to bet365 but had not received a response at the time of publishing.
Second New Jersey breach in a few weeks for bet365
The $33,000 fine is the second time bet365 has fallen afoul of New Jersey regulators in the last few weeks.
Just over a month ago, the DGE ordered the operator to pay out more than half a million dollars to in-state bettors after finding the sportsbook had been changing odds offered on events over the span of two years without telling the DGE.
The DGE directed bet365 to pay $519,323.32 relating to 199 winning wagers placed by New Jersey bettors on 19 events at their originally posted odds rather than the corrected odds.
Flaherty said the violations “evidence a prolonged and unacceptable course of conduct.”
