New Jersey’s leading online gaming brand BetMGM has been involved in a controversy, as New Yorker files a lawsuit against the operator. In the lawsuit, Sam A. Antar, alleges that the leading gaming company offered him millions in free bets to keep him silenced regarding game glitches and not report them to local betting regulators.
The lawsuit was submitted to the New Jersey Superior Court on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. The claimant says that the free credits have made his gambling addiction severely worse. He describes himself as a compulsive and vulnerable gambler. Now, BetMGM, MGM Resorts, Entain PLC, and Borgata Casino have been charged with gross negligence, consumer fraud, racketeering and a handful of civil suits.
More from the Court Files
Mr. Antar claims that while playing on BetMGM’s online casino platform he would often lose connection to the app, and when logging his account balance would be erased. In the lawsuit, he explained that this would happen when he had a favourable hand, and he claimed that the only way to recover the funds would be by depositing more cash into his account.
The claimant said that this has led to him gambling over US$29 million in just nine months. He said that he has spoken with several officials from the company regarding the dysconnectivity issues. However, they preferred to top up his profile with free bets to compensate for his losses. But it should be mentioned that bettors cannot withdraw the free bets as a real monetary unit.
Also, the lawsuit, mentions that an account manager told Mr. Antar that he was not the only one experiencing the issue. The plaintiff has stated that he experienced the glitches every 15 to 30 minutes thousands of times from May 2019 to January 2020, during which period, he claims to have placed over 100,000 wagers online on the app.
In the lawsuit, he states that the operator turned a blind eye to the issue as the company made tons of profits off of the glitch. Mr. Antar claims that he made numerous complaints to the company, and even recorded a conversation with a BetMGM manager who said that the application would not pull the game off the website as it was a “moneymaker” in his words.
Participating in RGEM
Meanwhile, also in September, BetMGM and MGM Resorts announced that they will join a problem gambling initiative named Responsible Gambling Education Month. Its objective is to educate bettors on the possible negative effects developed from harmful gambling activities. Currently, more than 35,000 TV screens at MGM Resorts’ properties display messages and advice from GameSense, which is BCLC’s renowned player protection program.
In addition to that, in September MGM Resorts reported that finalized the purchase of the Swedish online sports betting brand LeoVegas. The deal is said to be worth US$604 million, and it was accepted by 96% of the stakeholders. Through the deal, the company will acquire valuable synergies with the addition of the prominent European catalogue to its already broad portfolio of gaming products.
