New Jersey Regulator Fines bwin $81k for Allowing Self-Excluded Individuals to Gamble

Posted at: 21 March 2019

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement imposed a $81,000 fine on the GVC-owned bwin.party and its partner Borgata Casino Hotel for a breach of the Casino Control Act.

According to a Civil Action Order from March 9th, the two companies allowed individuals, enrolled in self-exclusion programs, to gamble online. The Civil Action Order states that the affected players have lost $41,759.49 as a result of the permission to play online.

Under the New Jersey law, players who have self-excluded themselves from gambling must be denied access to licensed online casinos for the time of the self- exclusion period they have set – a week, month, 3 months, 6 months, a year, etc.

This is not the first financial penalty the NJDGE levies against bwin. Back in 2015, bwin and three land-based New Jersey casinos were fined $33,000 for violating various gambling regulations.

In February 2018, the UKGC hit GVC Holdings with a hefty £350,000 fine for misleading bonus offers.

In a separate ruling from March 2019, Borgata casino was ordered to forfeit $68,000 in winnings collected from players who failed to provide the necessary documentation or were self-excluded/ banned from partaking in gambling activities.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has been on the lookout for operators violating the regulations. As a result, Rush Street Interactive was also imposed a $30,000 penalty for allowing minors to take part in casino games.

At the beginning of March 2019, the Assemblyman Ralph Caputo sponsored legislation establishing legal repercussions for breaking the state’s sports wagering law. The new bill will codify the penalties imposed on operators that accept bets on sporting events prohibited on the territory of the Garden State. The violators will face a fine of up to $20,000 and a betting license suspension.

Caputo’s bill cleared the Assembly Panel and headed to the Speaker for further consideration.