Borgata and GVC fined by NJ regulator for self-exclusion violations

Bwin.party Entertainment, which is owned by GVC Holdings, and it’s partner Borgata Casino Hotel (owned by MGM Resorts International’s were penalised by New Jersey gambling regulators and will have to pay fines of up to $120,000. The reason for the fines was that both operators allowed individuals who placed themselves on a self-exclusion list to gamble.

Both companies were fined for the same incident. The amount of the fine itself is $81,000, but Borgata will also have to forfeit the winnings they made from these twelve individuals. The total amount of these winnings is $41,759.49.

Bwin.party received a license to conduct business in New Jersey in 2013, and two years later they were bought by GVC.

What does self-exclusion mean?

People who are self-excluded are permanently banned from all gambling facilities, including online casinos. Most people choose to place themselves on a self-exclusion list because of gambling addiction problems. These people are usually vulnerable and the gambling regulators have to do everything in their power to protect them. That’s the main reason why these two incidents weren’t simply ignored. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, or DGE for short, filed the complaint in December 2018, and the players and Borgata didn’t object to their decision.

Second strike for Borgata

This is Borgata’s second wrongdoing for this month. They also settled a case dating from 2014 where a California-based gambler used a Virtual Private Network to avoid the geolocators. The total amount which the player had to give up was $90,000.

The gambling operator also had to give up almost $68,000 in winnings collected from 36 players who couldn’t provide the required identification or weren’t allowed to gamble. The DGE has a long-standing history with Borgata who had to forfeit about $27.7m in winnings over four separate rulings.

Fines for other companies

Borgata may feel that they have been targeted by the DGE, but that’s not entirely true. The DGE has also given out fines to other gambling operators who have broken the rules. The organisation has set itself a goal to protect New Jersy and to make it as safe as it can be.

Hard Rock was fined $1,000 because it couldn’t stop a minor from entering the place undetected. GiG had to pay $2,000 for failing to acquire the social security numbers of new players. Lastly, SG Digital was forced to pay $1,000 in fines for failing to recognise someone who was on the self-eclusion list. Obvously, running a gambling operation is a hard business and companies aren’t always complied to every rule. That’s why the DGE monitors them closely and gives out punishments.