Caesars censured by New Jersey regulator over $27k hockey bet refusal

Caesars Sportsbook has been ordered to pay out a $27,000 winning bet on a Russian league hockey game, which took place in December 2021, following an investigation and censure by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).

The bettor concerned placed a bet on the Kontinental Hockey League match between Vityaz Podolsk and Dinamo Riga in 2021, wagering that there would be over 4.5 goals in the match.

The tie went into overtime at a score of 2-2, during which a fifth goal was eventually scored and therefore generating a winning bet for the unnamed bettor.

However, Caesars claimed the bet lost because overtime does not count in considering the over/under goals market, leading the individual to claim Caesars had failed to adhere to its sportsbook terms and conditions.

A subsequent investigation by DGE deputy attorney general Chuck Kimmel found that specific language ruling out overtime from the calculation method used in determining the over/under market was absent from Caesars terms and conditions and thus the bet was incorrectly voided.

In his order concerning the payment of the bet, Kimmel confirmed the absence of the wording and revealed Caesars had paid the bettor in full.

Under New Jersey’s Casino Control Act, the DGE can levy a penalty of up to $2,000 to a sportsbook operator found to be violating its own rules, however, in the case of Caesars, the DGE issued a softer penalty of just $500.

This is not the first time Caesars has felt the wrath of the DGE, with the sportsbook operator being fined $50,000 in January for failings relating to obtaining registrations and licenses for key employees at one of its land-based casino properties in the Garden State.