DraftKings fined $19K after no one wins online casino game in 20,000 spins
Over the course of a week, 522 players in Connecticut played the same game, Deal or No Deal Banker’s Bonanza, spinning more than 20,000 times without producing a single win, according to records provided to CT Insider by the state Department of Consumer Protection’s Gaming Division.
A subsequent investigation by state gaming regulators showed that a computer glitch affecting the game’s launch had rendered it incapable of generating a win, despite advertising average payouts of nearly 95 cents on the dollar.
After discovering the glitch, DraftKings returned $23,909 to all of the players in Connecticut who had placed bets on the game, without notifying them of the reason, according to a report included within the state’s investigation.
That investigation also showed that neither DraftKings nor the game’s developer, White Hat Gaming, notified DCP of the incident until Aug. 31 more than a week after the glitch was fixed and the game was relaunched doing so only after regulators reached out in response to complaints from players.
In addition to refunding gamblers’ bets, the glitch resulted in a $19,000 fine for DraftKings, along with a $3,500 fine for White Hat.