The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) said the bets were voided after the error had been identified and the customer’s initial stake was returned.
“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 NJDGE wrote in a document outlining the charges against the company.
The regulator revealed that PointsBet attributed the error to “an unresolved communication issue” between itself and a third-party data feed provider.
PointsBet also accepted bets in March 2022 on the St. Peter’s men’s basketball team, which was ineligible for wagering in New Jersey because the team is located within the state itself.Despite this, the St. Peter’s market was live for almost an hour as two individuals placed bets totalling $60 before both were cancelled. PointsBet blamed human error for the mistake, according to the NJDGE.
Finally, in October 2021, PointsBet offered a market on a League of Legends esports competition. However, one of the players was under the legal betting age of 18.
The operator accepted four bets worth $1,225 on the tournament before voiding them. PointsBet has since added an age verification process for video game events, it said.
The $25,000 fine was originally imposed in August as part of a settlement, but details did not emerge until a request was made by the Associated Press, which broke the story.
PointsBet’s US business has since been acquired by Fanatics. The firm’s New Jersey sportsbook has now been rebranded to: “PointsBet, a Fanatics Experience”.
