The latest instance of a regulated online gambling platform failing to prevent a self-excluded person from playing involves British gambling company Gamesys Group.
According to a filing from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement made public this month, Gamesys failed “to prevent a self-excluded patron from both creating accounts and wagering on those accounts.” It’s unclear which platforms were involved.
Gamesys must disgorge $1,822 that the self-excluded gambler lost while playing. Gamesys will also pay a $1,000 penalty. The state sent a notice of violation to the company on July 8.
Additional violations for firm
Additionally, Gamesys was fined $750 for marketing to people with likely gambling problems.
On July 9, regulators sent a notice to Gamesys regarding it “sending an automatic email to patrons who were either self-excluded or in a cool-off period.” Additionally, Gamesys made an “erroneous issuance of a noncash bonus credit,” according to regulators.
Gamesys, according to its website, has been involved with New Jersey online gambling for more than seven years. One of its most well-known titles is the casino gambling version of the classic board game Monopoly. It’s unclear if these are the company’s first self-exclusion violations.
Gamesys is in the process of changing hands. In April it was announced that Bally’s Corp. reached a deal to acquire Gamesys in a transaction worth $2.7 billion.
As far as responsible gambling violations go for online operators, it appears rare for a self-excluded gambler to slip through the cracks and be able to establish an account. It is more common, but still relatively rare, for self-excluded gamblers to receive marketing material, but it has happened numerous times in New Jersey iGaming history. For example, DraftKings was fined $10,000 this year — a large amount by New Jersey standards — for multiple violations involving such marketing.
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