Bet365 penalized $33K for accepting bets on known sports outcomes

New Jersey gambling regulators have imposed a fine of $33,000 on bet365, a sports betting company, for accepting bets on events with predetermined outcomes and games not authorized for betting. The state Division of Gaming Enforcement disclosed instances where the company mistakenly took wagers on games where the results were already known. One such incident involved bets on a mixed martial arts match that had occurred a week prior and was being aired on tape. The sports betting company did not provide any comments in response to inquiries made on Thursday and Friday.

This penalty marks the second time that New Jersey regulators have taken action against the British company in just over two months. In July, the gaming enforcement division instructed bet365 to repay $519,000 to customers who were paid less than what they had won due to the company unilaterally altering the odds during payouts without seeking approval from the regulatory agency. The recent fine pertains to activities from February 3, 2022, such as betting on a college basketball game that had its start time changed without corresponding adjustments to pre-match odds.

Other incidents included bets on a golf event and mixed martial arts fights after their conclusion, and betting on unapproved events like European friendly soccer matches and the Rutgers University football team, which is not allowed under New Jersey regulations. While bet365 voided most of the bets, totaling more than $257,000, and refunded customers, it unilaterally changed odds in one instance without regulatory approval. The company cited reasons for these errors, including human mistakes in inputting event start times and software malfunctions.

Bet365 informed regulators that it has retrained its employees following these occurrences.