Sports betting firm bet365 fined $33K for taking bets after outcomes were known

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey gambling regulators have levied a $33,000 fine on sports betting company bet365 for taking wagers on events in which the outcome was already known, and on games that were not approved for betting.

The state Division of Gaming Enforcement revealed Wednesday that the company had numerous instances in which it mistakenly accepted bets on games in which a particular thing had already happened.

In one case, it took bets on a mixed martial arts match that had already been held a week earlier, and was being shown on tape.

The company did not respond to messages seeking comment Thursday and Friday.

It was the second disciplinary action New Jersey regulators took against the British company in just over two months.

In July, the gaming enforcement division ordered bet365 to refund $519,000 to customers who won bets but were paid less than they were entitled to when the company unilaterally changed the odds when making the payouts.

In that case, the company told New Jersey regulators they changed the odds due to "obvious error." But the acting head of the enforcement division noted that any company wanting to void or alter a payout must seek approval from the agency before doing so, adding bet365 did not do so.

The most recent fine involves events beginning on Feb. 3, 2022, when the start time of a college basketball game between Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas-Little Rock was moved up by an hour, but pre-match odds remained in place.

Similar pre-match odds were available two weeks later on a Honda Golf Classic event for four hours after it had started.

That same day, bet365 took bets on two mixed martial arts fights after they had concluded, according to the state.

In April of that year, bet365 took bets on a Professional Fighters League match that had already been held a week earlier, failing to confirm that the event had already taken place.

The company also took bets on unapproved events including European friendly soccer matches that were not approved for betting by New Jersey gambling regulators, and on the Rutgers University football team. Betting is prohibited on New Jersey college teams.

In most cases, bet365 voided the bets, totaling over $257,000, and returned the money that had been wagered to customers. But in one case, it unilaterally changed the odds before paying off winning bets without getting approval from regulators, the state said.

It offered several explanations to regulators for the mistakes, including human error in incorrectly loading event start times into the betting applications it used. It also said software did not function as designed in some cases.

The company told regulators it has retrained workers.

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