Bet365 has been hit with another fine by New Jersey sports betting regulators, marking the second penalty in two months in the Garden State. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) imposed a $33,000 fine on the operator for accepting bets on prohibited events and events that had already concluded.
The ruling, dated August 29, details infractions that occurred between February 3, 2022 and January 23, 2023, during which bet365 accepted over $257,700 in wagers on unapproved or completed events. The company has not responded to requests for comment regarding the violations.
Key NJ Sports Betting Violations
The NJDGE outlined a seven-count ruling that details several violations by bet365, including taking bets on matches that had already started or finished. Some of the key infractions include:
- February 3, 2022: A college basketball game between University of Louisiana-Lafayette and University of Arkansas-Little Rock began an hour earlier than scheduled, yet bet365 accepted $5,275 in wagers after the game started. The company settled the wagers with adjusted odds without approval from the NJDGE.
- February 25, 2022: Bet365 accepted bets for the Honda Classic golf tournament four hours after it started. The company refunded 14 bets totaling $16,000.
- February 25, 2022: The operator took bets on two Bellator MMA events after the matches had ended, resulting in 35 refunded bets worth $44,210.
Software Malfunction and Additional Violations
Bet365 also blamed a software malfunction for offering unapproved markets on European exhibition soccer matches between November 2021 and March 2022. During this period, customers placed nearly 200 bets totaling $15,500 on unapproved games, with the operator paying out over $5,000.
In April 2022, bet365 accepted 56 bets worth $13,735 on tape-delayed Professional Fighters League Challenger Series matches that had taken place the previous month. These bets were eventually refunded.
Prohibited In-State College Bets
New Jersey law prohibits betting on in-state college teams, but on October 29, 2022, bet365 accepted two college football bets on Rutgers University at its in-person sportsbook in Atlantic City. Although the bets were small, totaling $16, they were still considered a violation of state regulations and were voided.
In another incident on January 19, 2023, a Premier League soccer prop market remained open for nine minutes after the event’s result was already known. This allowed one customer to place two bets worth $163,000, which were later refunded.
Previous Violations and Fines
This latest fine follows a more substantial penalty in July 2023, when bet365 was ordered to repay over $500,000 to bettors for incorrectly revising odds on wagers over a three-year period. An audit revealed that bet365 had adjusted odds without regulatory approval, a practice permitted in some U.S. jurisdictions but not in New Jersey. The company defended its actions, claiming the odds revisions were due to “an obvious error.”
