The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) is handing British operator William Hill Sportsbook a hefty fine for accepting wagers on finished contests.
The DGE has fined William Hill $20,000 for accepting invalid retail wagers between 2022 and 2023. The wagers, which were placed at Atlantic City casinos, were for college basketball games, boxing matches and hockey games. The bets totaled $25,000 and were placed at retail operations in Atlantic City at Caesars, Harrah’s and Tropicana.
The operator attributed the error to OpenBet, its long-time sportsbook platform supplier.
William Hill voided some of the invalid wagers but had paid winnings to a slew of patrons. The winnings included $5,000 between six bettors who placed bets on college basketball at self-service kiosks. Before William Hill had recognized the error of accepting invalid wagers, the operator received 42 bets at retail kiosks on college basketball games. William Hill voided the wagers that were flagged after dishing out winnings to the six customers.
The operator also accepted invalid wagers on Chris Kongo’s win over Sebastian Formella in 2022. The boxing match saw William Hill accept wagers after it had concluded with the operator posting an incorrect start time by 45 minutes. Kongo’s win took place at Manchester Arena in England adding to another European bout with wagering issues.
In April 2023, William Hill accepted wagers on Denzel Bentley’s 45-second knockout win over Kieran Smith. It posted an incorrect start time for the bout by five minutes.
NJ regulator maintains compliance
The DGE’s fine levied against William Hill adds to similar violations by bet365.
Earlier this year, the DGE fined the British operator $33,000 for accepting wagers on past events between February 2022 and January 2023. The DGE found that bet365 accepted wagers on past events for a college basketball game, golf tournament and MMA fights.
The regulator has also recently fined London-based Amelco $10,000 for accepting wagers on political events. In 2022, the sports betting technology company saw its operations, through PlayUp, accept a wager regarding who will be the next president.
At the time, the bet was not allowed despite political contracts being permitted in 2024.
