On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Commission agreed to issue fines to William Hill and its affiliates. Since the infractions are the result of systematic errors, the fine will be $100,000 as brought by the Commission.
What Was the Major Flaw in the System?
It was easy to point out the flaws in the system as three counts were from the affiliate platforms and the main platform. The platform and mobile sportsbook platform produced thousands of duplicate wagers on the platforms.
The customer service board also failed to respond to the consumers’ complaints on time, according to Deputy Attorney General Michael Somps, who drafted the complaint. In order for a sportsbook to be successful in the industry, operators must have a well-rounded responsive team.
A fourth count was based on a theft case by a sportsbook writer at the Red Garter Casino. The individual placed multiple illegal bets through the bookmakers’ retail location drawer, which accumulated to $3,350. Caesars Entertainment acquired William Hill back in 2021.
How Long Was This Going on For?
Stomps stated that William Hill conducted an internal investigation in October and November 2021. The duplications were very frequent as the tickets with the same wager and amount were placed one minute after the original ticket was submitted.
Initially, the error was discovered seven years ago. Prior to June 2021, a bettor contacted the customer service department about a duplicate wager in the system. The individual was refunded, and no further action was taken during that time.
The platforms processed 42,000 incorrect duplicate wagers, which resulted in major losses for the consumers. The multiple errors in the system cost patrons approximately $1.3 million in losses.
There were also 13,000 erroneous winning bets that resulted in the patrons receiving payouts that reached around $2 million. As for William Hill, the company has agreed to pay out all the winning bets as the users will receive bonuses or, in other words, free bet credits.
According to the Commission, the root cause of the problem hasn’t been determined. However, one could speculate that it took place during the peak times throughout the span when there was heavy traffic on the platform.
The complaint also stated that the company failed to notify the regulators about the problem within three business days. This also included the failure to answer the consumers as the number of complaints was piling up.
Mistakes Are Rare But Can Happen
Mistakes across several sportsbook apps are rare, but they could happen. BetMGM was fined by New Jersey as the platform allowed a bettor to place a bet on an in-state collegiate program before the game started. The Garden State is one of the jurisdictions that doesn’t allow residents to place bets on in-state
teams.
The platform accepted a wager that was less than $100 but paid a fine of $25,000. Another error also took place on the FanDuel Sportsbook platform.
A bettor in New Jersey placed a $110 wager on a +75000 in-game bet, but the line was supposed to be -600. The bettor was offered $500 and tickets to the next three New York Giants games but refused the offer. The case dragged on, and the bettor was finally awarded the $82,000 win due to the error.
