The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has slammed FanDuel with several fines over illegal bets and responsible gambling failures. The company accepted the derision and promised to strive for higher standards.
The Operator Will Have to Pay $125K for Its Failures
The commission’s fines were related to a variety of issues, including prohibited bets on the Super Bowl and certain soccer and golf games. The largest of the fines, however, stood at $30,000 and was due to a responsible gambling malfunction.
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission was particularly concerned with the RG issue due to it being reported very late.
In total, FanDuel was required to pay $125,000 for its failures.
FanDuel Has Rectified Its Mistakes
FanDuel representative Ben Roth commented on the matter and said that his company agrees to pay the penalty. He explained that his team takes full responsibility for the issues and promised to rectify all mistakes. In cases of illegal bets, all impacted customers had been refunded, he said.
At the same time, Roth acknowledged that his team failed to live up to the high standards it holds for itself. Because of that, a variety of remediation measures will be implemented, including increased training, improved checklists and runbooks for the deployment of content, and automation where possible.
The Commission Hopes FanDuel Will Do Better
Commissioners were disconcerted by the frequency of the offenses, pointing out that the company committed five mistakes within a short period of time. While the commissioners acknowledged that mistakes can happen, considering the volumes of bets FanDuel is dealing with, they said that they expect more from one of the top operators in Iowa and the US as a whole.
The Commission also acknowledged that some of the issues could have been caused by the varying regulatory regimes in different states, but remained firm that sportsbooks in Iowa should follow the Iowa regulations.
Daryl Olsen, chair of the Commission, said that his team hopes that FanDuel has learned this lesson and will rectify the issues to avoid future mistakes.
FanDuel Doubles Down on Banning Athlete Harassers
In other news, FanDuel just doubled down on its policy to suspend bettors who are found guilty of harassing athletes. Athlete harassment has been a growing problem within the sports betting sector and the company has acknowledged the importance of addressing it.
This echoes the American Gaming Association’s Keep Your Cool initiative, which encourages gamblers to reject abusive behavior.