Tennessee Regulator Fines 3 Operators over Regulatory Breaches

The Tennessee authorities have handed penalties to several gambling companies for betting-related violations. The companies in question, namely BetMGM, ESPN Bet and Action 24/7, were fined over their breaches.

The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council understood that BetMGM, for example, had offered wagers on penalties, which is strictly forbidden in the Volunteer State. To make matters worse, the sportsbook also allowed players to place bets on injuries – another prohibited market in Tennessee.

As a result, the state regulator levied a $25,000 fine against BetMGM.  

In the meantime, the council also learned that ESPN Bet, a joint venture of Penn Interactive and ESPN, had allowed a self-excluded player to place wagers. This regulatory breach earned the operator a $9,000 fine. In addition, ESPN Bet had promoted its wagering products to a self-excluded person, earning it another fine of $3,000.

In total, ESPN Bet will have to pay $12,000 for its violations.

Lastly, Action 24/7, another betting operator, allowed a self-excluded bettor to make deposits and gamble using its proprietary app. As a result, the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council handed down a fine of $18,000 to the company.

Other Recent Violations

The penalties reflect the council’s commitment to protecting the local market from gambling harm and unlicensed wagering. The fines follow an earlier fine wave that saw the regulator hand down penalties to two other operators, namely ZenSports and Fanatics.

The former hadn’t maintained a sufficient reserve account balance for its operation and was not ready to cover outstanding obligations, thus violating Tennessee’s rules. Because of that, it was slapped with a $60,000 fine.

Fanatics, on the other hand, self-reported a self-exclusion-related violation. According to the operator’s report, a technical issue had allowed excluded bettors to place wagers. The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council decided to levy a fine of $6,250 against Fanatics for every self-excluded bettor who placed a wager (8) for a total of $50,000.

In other Tennessee-related news, authorities recently cracked down on an illegal gambling business, arresting its owner and seizing thousands of dollars in cash. According to an official report, the police took 2 gambling machines and $4,208 in cash. The illegal operation’s alleged mastermind was arrested and booked into the Crockett County jail. His case was handed to The Office of the District Attorney General, 28th Judicial District, Frederick Agee.