Sports betting company bet365 fined $33,000 for accepting bets after results were known

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY — New Jersey gambling regulators have fined sports betting company bet365 $33,000 for taking bets on events whose outcome was already known and on games that were not approved for betting.

The state Gaming Enforcement Division revealed Wednesday that the company had seen numerous instances in which it mistakenly accepted bets on games in which a particular event had already occurred.

In one case, the bets involved a mixed martial arts match that had already taken place a week earlier and was being broadcast on tape.

The company did not respond to messages seeking comment Thursday and Friday.

This is the second disciplinary action taken by New Jersey regulators against the British company in just over two months.

In July, the Gambling Control Division ordered bet365 to refund $519,000 to customers who won bets but received less than their due when the company unilaterally changed odds on payouts.

In that case, the company told New Jersey regulators that it changed the odds because of an “obvious error.” But the acting head of the enforcement division noted that any company wanting to cancel or change a payout must seek approval from the agency before doing so, adding that bet365 had not done so.

The most recent fine relates to events that occurred on Feb. 3, 2022, when the start time of a college basketball game between Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas-Little Rock was moved up one hour, but pregame odds remained in place.

Similar pre-match odds were available two weeks later on a Honda Golf Classic event for four hours after it began.

On the same day, bet365 took bets on two mixed martial arts fights after they had concluded, the state said.

In April of that year, bet365 took bets on a Professional Fighters League match that had already taken place a week earlier, without confirming that the event had already taken place.

The company also took bets on unapproved events, including European soccer friendlies that were not approved for betting by New Jersey gambling regulators, and on the Rutgers University football team. Betting is prohibited on college teams in New Jersey.

In most cases, bet365 voided the bets, totaling more than $257,000, and returned the money wagered to customers. But in one case, the company unilaterally changed the odds before paying out winning bets without getting approval from regulators, the state said.

The company offered regulators several explanations for the errors, including human error in incorrectly loading event start times into the betting apps it used. It also said software did not work as intended in some cases.

The company told regulators it had retrained its workers.

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