New Jersey Sportsbooks Face Penalties
The New Jersey sportsbooks are facing some challenges, as two of them have been issued penalties. David Rebuck, the Director of Division Gaming Enforcement, issued fines against DraftKings Sportsbook and Rush Street Interactive, the company that owns BetRivers Sportsbook. DraftKings has to pay a fine of $7,500, while Rush Street has to pay a smaller amount of $2,000.
DraftKings Sportsbook NJ received its first fine in the state because a self-excluded person was able to create a new account and place bets on it. This violation resulted in a fine issued on October 24 after a complaint was filed in August. Similarly, the fine for Rush Street was issued due to events that the company held from March 2020 to April 2020, until January 2021, and again in July and September of 2021, which did not comply with the rules issued by the regulatory body for unapproved events.
Furthermore, five casinos in Atlantic City and a popular horse racing track forfeited more than $77,000 that was won by minors who placed bets, as well as by self-excluded individuals. The individuals failed to provide identification, and their winnings were taken until they provided proof of their right to gamble. The seized money will be used to help compulsive gambling, disabled citizens, and seniors.
The largest amount of money was seized from Resorts, followed by the Ocean Casino Resort, Bally’s, Freehold Raceway, the Golden Nugget, and Harrah’s. However, despite these fines and forfeitures, the casinos and racing tracks’ earnings remain considerable, with a total of more than $4.2 billion in the first nine months of 2023.
