Bet365 received another fine from NJ sports betting regulators at the end of August, the operator’s second penalty in as many months in the Garden State.
In a ruling dated Aug. 29, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) issued a $33,000 fine against bet365 for accepting bets on prohibited events and already-completed events.
Between Feb. 3, 2022 and Jan. 23, 2023, NJ sports betting regulators said bet365 accepted more than $257,700 worth of wagers on unapproved events or events where somebody already knew the result. Bet365 did not respond to an LSR request for comment.
NJ sports betting violations
The NJDGE shared with LSR on Monday a seven-count ruling detailing bet365’s infractions.
- Feb. 3, 2022: The University of Louisiana-Lafayette and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock college basketball teams moved up their game by an hour. Pre-match markets were still active after the game started. Bet365 took $5,275 in action on the game and settled the wagers with adjusted odds without NJDGE approval.
- Feb. 25, 2022: bet365 accepted pre-match bets on the Honda Classic golf tournament for about four hours after the event started. The NJ sportsbook refunded 14 bets totaling $16,000.
- Feb. 25, 2002: The NJ sports betting app took bets on two Bellator events after the matches finished. Bet365 refunded 35 bets worth $44,210 and said its trading team entered the wrong start time for the event.
Violations in March and April 2022
Bet365 blamed a software malfunction for offering unapproved markets on European exhibition soccer matches between Nov. 16, 2021 and March 6, 2022.
Customers placed nearly 200 bets totaling about $15,500 on unapproved soccer games. Over 60 bets were considered wins. Bet365 paid out more than $5,000 and refunded the rest.
In April 2022, Bet365 took 56 bets worth $13,735 on tape-delayed recordings of several Professional Fighters League Challenger Series fights. The matches took place the month before. The operator refunded the bets.
Prohibited bets on in-state college teams
On Oct. 29, 2022, bet365 accepted two college football bets on Rutgers University at its in-person sportsbook in Atlantic City.
New Jersey does not allow betting on in-state college teams. Bet365 voided four bets worth $16.
Several months later, on Jan. 19, 2023, bet365 said a trader failed to suspend a Premier League soccer prop market while the operator waited for an official result. The market remained open for nine minutes, allowing one customer to place two bets worth $163,000, which were later refunded.
Bet365 NJ sports betting infractions
These latest NJ sports betting violations come on the heels of a more substantial fine against bet365.
In July, the online NJ sportsbook was ordered to pay back more than $500,000 to winning bettors for paying out at worse odds for nearly three years. An audit revealed that the company “unilaterally revised odds for a significant number of wagers over an extended period of time.”
Bet365 defended itself, saying the odds posted were “an obvious error.” While some US sports betting jurisdictions allow adjusted payouts without regulatory approval in those situations, New Jersey does require approval.
