BetMGM Fines $146K From Maryland Lottery And Game Control Board

BetMGM received a Maryland mobile sports betting license and launched one of seven sportsbooks under that license. However, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission has assessed the $146,000 fine. This fine beat the previous record of $5,000.

The company agreed to pay the fine on Thursday after acknowledging the bet early. In a three-hour pre-launch test, we accepted 146 live sports bets worth over $2,000. This happened on November 16, a week before the license was granted. 온라인카지노

Rhea Ronnie, BetMGM’s top compliance officer, said on a video call that bettors can participate in legitimate sports betting and place bets immediately after registration. However, players were not properly redirected to another page where they were supposed to show a message that the site would be live.

Betting was suspended after a software error was discovered. The company has also begun working with Maryland regulators to correct the errors. John Mooney, the commission’s chief regulator, said all the money was refunded to players.

Randy Mariner, chairman of the commission, said, “This appears to be an unintended mistake, and it’s the biggest fine we’ve ever imposed on anyone.”

Harold Hodges was the only member to oppose the fine. He wanted the vote to be delayed while further investigation is underway. He said, “Although it might be the biggest penalty [valued], I don’t see it as any more powerful than a hand or wrist slap, to be honest.”

He said, “I honestly disagree. If anything, I think we should revoke our license until we think, ‘Is there anything we can do across the system to make sure this doesn’t happen again?’

The penalty is not a big deal because the company has placed a $186 million bet in the eight days of its launch.