NJ Gaming Enforcement Drops $10,000 Fine On PokerStars

• PokerStars operates under the Resorts Digital Gaming, LLC skin.
• Accepting wagers on New Jersey college athletic programs is prohibited.
• There were 217 wagers were refunded by PokerStars.

ATLANTIC CITY – The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement levied a $10,000 fine to PokerStars after discovering the online sportsbook accepted multiple wagers on collegiate teams from New Jersey residents.

Per state regulations, action shall not be offered for any local college athletic program by a sportsbook, regardless of the location of the sporting event nor on a collegiate sporting event being held within New Jersey.

In a game between Eastern Michigan University and Rutgers, 216 wagers were accepted by PokerStars. Upon discovering the accepted action, the sportsbook refunded all of the wagers – before the event started.

There was also a single wager taken on the Monmouth University Hawks, which brought the total illegal handle between the 217 accepted bets to $2,700.

The Golden Nugget put themselves in this position during the college football season, where they allowed action on a Rutgers game. Fined $2,000 for accepting $390 in wagers, the question of inadequate fines has been tossed around in the statehouse.

Legislators, led by Assemblymen Ralph Caputo (D- Essex), are looking to take a stance one way or the other.

Caputo seems to not mind whether the state should accept all wagers, without any restrictions, or should have a standardized fining system in place.

Currently unscheduled for its second reading, A 4947 would establish penalties for accepting wagers. Payments not less than $20,000 and no more than $100,000 would be levied should the sportsbook break regulations. If not paid in ten days, the operator would be set to have their license suspended.

On the opposite end, A 774 would remove and repeal all prohibitions concerning sports wagering. This bill was only recently introduced, as it has not seen any action in the Tourism, Gaming, and the Arts Committee.

Either way, the sports betting scene in New Jersey will likely come across these instances multiple times in the future. Whether oversight from the bookmakers or simple greed to collect more money, the opportunities will keep arising for prohibited wagering. It is up to lawmakers to determine the best strategy for keeping New Jersey sports betting properly regulated.

News tags: New Jersey | New Jersey sports betting | NJ A 4967 | NJ A 774 | PokerStars