PointsBet Fined $25,000 by New Jersey Gaming for Committing Sports Betting Violations
Via Ben Solomon/Getty Images. Pictured: Doug Edert #25 of the St. Peter’s Peacocks during a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the Elite Eight round of the 2022 NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament held at Wells Fargo Center on March 27, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
PointsBet has been fined $25,000 by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement after committing three different types of violations of New Jersey sports betting laws.
The agency reached a settlement with PointsBet on August 23, according to the Associated Press. However, details of the case were not released to the public until September 20.
PointsBet declined to comment when reached by Action Network.
The first violation occurred in August 2021. One bettor wagered a total of $13,500 on five bets, and the bettor would have received $28,275. The bettor wagered on a pre-match line after the game had already started. After PointsBet realized the error, the bets were voided, and the money was returned.
The second violation occurred on October 29, 2021. PointsBet offered Esports betting on a League of Legends tournament. However, a player in the tournament was 17 years old, which is under the minimum age to be bet on in the state of New Jersey.
The company said during the hearing that it did not check the ages of the competitors.
The most recent violation was on March 25, 2022, while St. Peter's was making a run in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The closing St. Peter's moneyline against Purdue, which had a consensus price of +625, was available 55 minutes into the game. Two people placed bets which totaled $60, but those bets were voided after PointsBet had realized the error.
“PointsBet stated that the ‘overwhelming’ number of matches offered through PointsBet made it ‘unrealistic’ to check and verify each event and the market offered for wagering,” the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement wrote in a statement.
The punishment shows a willingness by state regulators to enforce rules when sportsbooks have been unfair to bettors.
Barstool Sportsbook has recently been under fire for suspending accounts after offering pre-match lines on an NFL game that already started.
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