Atlantic City Regulators Fine Three Casinos

Three casinos in Atlantic City have been fined for letting 117 self-excluded or underage players to bet. According to NBC New York, the operators were fined with over $14,000 and the fines were revealed last week by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

The three casinos fined by the NJDGE are Tropicana, Resorts and Borgata. Fine of $7,187 was handed over to Resorts Casino Hotel after it was found out that self-excluded gamblers were allowed to create online gaming accounts and play at the operator’s online platform. However, the NJDGE explained that the reason for that was a “computer programming error.”

Additionally, the fine includes the money Resorts Casino has won from self-excluded players, or $1,187. Investigation showed that 10 people managed to register with the site’s online platform, while nine of them used the accounts to gamble.

The casino generated $735,140 from its online gaming platform last month only. Resorts, as some of you may not know, is best known as the first operator to introduce online gambling lounge that features 22 tables where customers can get acquainted with its online gaming site.

Resorts Digital received its casino licence on 12th of August and its platform is powered by Sportech NYX Gaming. However, the operator also has a pending partnership with Amaya Gaming’s Pokerstars that should be officialised by the end of the year.

Borgata and Tropicana Let Underage Players to Gamble

In the same timeframe when Resorts was fined for allowing self-excluded gamblers to place bets on its online platform, Borgata and Tropicana were fined for letting underage players bet in their gaming facilities.
Borgata received a penalty of $5,000, while Tropicana was fined with $2,000. According to the regulators, both casinos failed to prevent players under the age of 21 to enter and use the services provided by the operators.

The fines are actually the money the casinos won from such players. Thus, Borgata had to return the profit from 66 underage gamblers that played on its slot machines and tables in the period from 2011 and 2015. The period in which Tropicana made similar offences is between 2013 and 2015.

None of the casinos contested the fines and they all agreed to pay their fines. The money withheld by the operators will go to a state fund for seniors and disabled.

Online Gaming Industry in Atlantic City Growing

The fine issued to Resorts digital platform should raise awareness that operators have to take online gambling very seriously. Latest reports show that online gaming industry in Atlantic City is growing, meaning more and more people decide to try their luck on online slots, table games and video poker. Thus, casino operators have to be well prepared before they launch online casinos in order to avoid similar incidents.

Exactly Resorts was one of the casinos that generated more revenues in August 2015 than the same period last year; its online platform was pointed out as one of the reasons for the positive results.