Tennessee slaps fines on betting operators

Caught in a sports betting fervor, the state of Tennessee has now meted out punishments over breaches tied to gambling companies’ promotional activities in the Volunteer State.

The penalties, albeit small, indicate that regulators are keeping a close eye of the gambling and betting landscape across the United States, with Tennessee hardly the only place where operators have come under major scrutiny.

Tennessee goes after betting businesses in one fell swoop

The state has not hesitated to act quickly and bring several operators to justice, issuing a $25,000 fine to BetMGM, which allowed sports fans to place wagers on penalties despite the state’s prohibition on betting on this specific market, as well as injuries.

Other operators to have incurred the wrath of the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council include Action 24/7 which was handed down a smaller fine, $18,000, for allowing a self-excluded bettor to deposit and bet using the company’s app.

ESPN Bet, the company run by Penn Interactive, which is experiencing a rough spell, was also hit with a $12,000 penalty. The company faced two individual penalties, one worth $9,000 for failing to self-exclude a gambler – and another for promoting betting products to people on the self-exclusion list.

The penalties do appear small at first glance, but they are mostly in line with what the law has predicted for such instances and breaches. However, social responsibility failings could be worth millions of dollars in places such as the United Kingdom, which has taken a gung-ho approach towards responsible gambling practices and specifically breaches by operators.

Responsible gambling awareness grows in the United States

Awareness of responsible gambling in the United States has been increasing as well. Other than individual states trying to navigate this difficult challenge, there have been attempts on the federal level to introduce much stricter restrictions.

One of the efforts spearheaded by New York Congressman Paul Tonko is called the SAFE Bet Act, which is in turn an ambitious take on the gambling industry, proposing an expansive set of measures such as credit card bans, affordability checks and s steep tab payable by any operator that fails to adequately protect consumers.

North Carolina, for example, has introduced a new initiative to seek and aid problem gamblers in the state.

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