In the United States and a punter is reportedly suing the BetMGM-branded iGaming enterprise over allegations that it covered up software glitches affecting play on its New Jersey-facing online casino and sportsbetting domains.
According to a Wednesday report from The Wall Street Journal newspaper, Sam Antar has filed the action in New Jersey Superior Court at the same time as claiming that he had been regularly disconnected from the operator’s locally-licensed sites while holding favorable hands in online games of blackjack. The plaintiff is purportedly alleging that the malfunctioning iGaming service also fuelled his compulsive gambling habit by refusing to release any winnings until he had deposited even more funds.
Prominent parents:
BetMGM is a joint endeavour of American land-based casino operator MGM Resorts International and British iGaming behemoth Entain and is reportedly licensed to offer a range of gambling-friendly entertainment to aficionados in 20 American jurisdictions including New Jersey. The brand is moreover responsible for an online casino themed around Atlantic City’s 2,767-room Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa property and is purportedly now being sued by Antar for a range of civil complaints including racketeering, consumer fraud and gross negligence.
Damaging dilemma:
The lawsuit reportedly alleges that Antar experienced thousands of disconnections occurring every 15 to 30 minutes while legally enjoying BetMGM’s online gambling services in New Jersey during the nine months from May 2019. The action purportedly moreover claims that the defendant had placed more than 100,000 remote wagers together worth approximately $29 million during this time that had encompassed multiple-day binges at all hours and over 30 visits to the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa venue.
Complimentary courtesies:
Antar’s suit reportedly furthermore contends that he was gifted betting credits known as ‘bonuses’ to continue gambling after complaining to BetMGM’s customer service department about the repeated outages. The action purportedly goes on to claim that the defendant was subsequently privately informed that the operator was dealing with similar grumbles from other customers.
Lucrative liability:
The complaint from Antar reportedly additionally alleges that BetMGM was potentially reluctant to fix the glitches impacting online players in New Jersey because its games were proving very profitable even after awarding the defendant with ‘bonuses’ that for one month amounted to some $30,000. The figure is purportedly said to have recorded one conversation in which a customer services manager relayed that the operator couldn’t justify taking the malfunctioning games down for maintenance because they were proving to be too much of a ‘money-maker’.
Earlier misbehavior:
The Wall Street Journal reported that Antar was accused by New Jersey prosecutors as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2019 of running an investment scheme that had allegedly defrauded family and friends to fuel his gambling habit. The figure purportedly later pled guilty in New Jersey Superior Court to second-degree theft by deception, which came some six years after he had served 21 months in federal prison for taking $225,000 via a fraudulent ploy to partially fund his love of gambling.