Pennsylvania fines two online gambling licensees for prohibited business practices
Two Pennsylvania sports betting operators were fined last week for allowing prohibited bets on their online betting platforms.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) fined DraftKings and Betway for allowing the provision of prohibited services and accepting bets on the state’s prohibited betting list.
DraftKings, whose daily fantasy sports business operates in the Commonwealth as Crown PA DFS, Inc., has been fined $10,000 for allowing players to use its Reignmakers product. The PGCB has ordered that DFS services should no longer be provided in the state.
Reignmakers challenges players to assemble a roster and compete in a fantasy sports tournament. DraftKings customers first visit the online marketplace where they can buy and sell player cards for football, golf and UFC events. Once a player has formed his team, he can participate in tournaments for money.
The PGCB banned “Reignmakers” products in October 2022. State gaming regulators say they don’t believe the use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to buy and sell player cards should be allowed.
The PGCB oversees all forms of commercial gambling in the Keystone State except the state lottery. Pennsylvania is home to 17 land-based casinos, iGaming, retail and online sportsbooks, truck stop video lottery kiosks, and online fantasy sports tournaments.
College Player Props Violation
The second penalty imposed by the PGCB involves Betway, a Pennsylvania-based iGaming and sports betting operator licensed through a partnership with Stadium Casino RE, LLC, the parent company of Live! Philadelphia casino hotel.
State gambling regulators said Betway offered college betting services to individual players, something the PGCB has long banned. Betway was also fined $10,000 for breaching the regulations.
Pennsylvania, like most other states that have legalized gambling on college sports, generally prohibits bookmakers from offering odds on the performance of individual student-athletes. The policy is intended to reduce incidents of harassment against college players. The rule was also seen as an effort to combat outside influences' ability to convince college athletes to throw into the game.
Gambling regulators in Ohio and Maryland recently changed sports betting rules to eliminate props for college players. That leaves just four states that still allow such bets, including Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan and Wyoming. Washington, D.C., sportsbooks may also offer props to college players.
The 34 other states that regulate sports betting prohibit bookmakers from taking action on the games of individual college players. However, there are some exceptions, such as: B. Future betting on which college football player will win the Heisman Trophy.
Parental Behavior
The PGCB has been involved in public service awareness campaigns for several years, warning parents and anyone caring for children that minors should not be left unattended in cars outside casinos. The group's monthly press release About Administrative Fines typically states that more adults will be placed on the state's involuntary exclusion list for violating the Unsupervised Children Act.
This month's sentencing announcement did not include adding new adults to the state's blacklist. This could be a sign that the PGCB’s No Gambling with Children (PSA) initiative is gaining traction.
In the PGCB's 2022-2023 annual report, the state agency said there were 303 incidents involving 486 minors who were left unsupervised by their parents or guardians while gambling at casinos. This included 76 children aged six years or younger.
The PGCB continues to encourage the public to call 9-1-1 if they see an unsupervised child outside a casino.
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Source: www.casino.org
