Casinos on the Vegas Strip and beyond have paid out millions of dollars in jackpots to players over the past few days. This has highlighted the gambling industry’s potential to change lives and reward lucky customers.

Lucky Customer Makes It Look Easy, Wins Two Jackpots in a Row

Speaking of luck, one of the aforementioned jackpot winners won not one but two jackpots, hours apart. The fortunate player was firing up the reels of slot machines at Caesars Palace Las Vegas when they won their first prize.

After winning $165,000 at 5 am, the player continued playing for a few more hours. Five hours later, the same player struck another prize, this time winning a staggering $545,000.

Overall, the player’s journey to the casino turned into a $710,000 payday. The lucky Caesars customer preferred to remain anonymous and did not disclose their plans for the money.

Caesars Rewards Member Wins Over a Million

Caesars Palace was not the only Caesars-owned Vegas property to pay out a huge jackpot. A week ago, a Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino visitor won a jackpot of over a million dollars.

The customer, who was a Caesars Rewards member, visited the casino to play some Pai Gow Poker. To their surprise, they hit the mega progressive jackpot, receiving a whopping $1,208,521.

For reference, this jackpot was won on February 28.

Casinos Outside the Strip also Made People Rich

Beyond the Vegas Strip, a number of other Vegas casinos also turned their customers’ lives around by paying out huge prizes. These included a $450,600 jackpot from a $10 bet at Red Rock Casino on Friday. The huge prize was won by a lucky Double Double Bonus Poker player.

A day later, Red Rock paid out jackpots to a Super Double Double Bonus Poker player. After winning $200,000, the customer proceeded to play and, mirroring the Caesars Palace player, won a second jackpot, this time scooping up $160,000.

Green Valley Ranch Nevada, on the other hand, paid out $595,800 to a lucky player from Arizona.

Speaking of winners from Arizona, a visitor of the Inn of the Mountain Gods in New Mexico just won a record-breaking award for the casino. After wagering $3.75 on a slot, the woman claimed a huge $1.13 million prize.  

On the topic of jackpots, the Powerball jackpot hit $443 million for the recent drawing and, after not getting claimed, no stands at $485 million. The next drawing is scheduled for March 6.

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In a landmark ruling by the Swedish Patent and Market Court of Appeal, Betsson, a prominent betting company, has been mandated to refund all losses the plaintiff, a man suffering from a gambling disorder. This development has significant long-term consequences and follows similar cases in other European jurisdictions.

Betsson May Face Other Such Lawsuits

According to the court’s decision, Betsson must repay all of the plaintiff’s historical spending and additional compensation for mental distress. According to the individual, Betsson engaged in extensive and aggressive marketing tactics like frequent bonuses despite being aware of his status as a problem gambler. Since this happened before the company received its Swedish license, he had little legal recourse.

Magnus Rydeving, an expert providing legal guidance to individuals affected by addiction, noted that the court’s decision, ordering Betsson to reimburse the individual, potentially sets a precedent for similar cases from other victims. In an interview for Swedish media outlet Dagens industri, he noted that the sum for this individual trial may be just the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s hundreds of millions of krona, and that’s solely what I know about. Then, of course, there’s much more out there.”

Magnus Rydeving

Betsson might face the prospect of repaying hundreds of millions of krona to affected individuals, who can use this recent ruling to improve their chances of court victory. An influx of lawsuits could significantly hinder the company, costing it valuable resources and time. Betsson can still appeal to the Swedish Supreme Court, but the company has yet to disclose its intentions.

This Development Follows Broader Industry Trends

The silver lining for Betsson is that the case specifically targets the period spanning 2014 to 2019, preceding the regulation of the Swedish gambling market. Betsson was a grey market operator in Sweden before the industry underwent formal regulation in 2019. Any customers seeking legal action against the company after 2019 will likely face a significantly more difficult court battle.

This ruling aligns with similar legal precedents established in countries like Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, where tens of millions of euros have already been recovered from gambling companies in almost 7,000 cases, with the argument being that companies acting against the law were not entitled to profits from such activities.

Sweden’s decision underscores the increasing legal scrutiny faced by gambling companies operating in unregulated markets, setting a precedent for accountability within the industry. However, it contributes to ongoing tensions between operators and EU regulators as some jurisdictions may become unsustainable for licensed stakeholders.

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On November 24, the gambling giant Entain announced that it has reached a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The agreement was also approved by Dame Victoria Sharp, president of the King’s Bench Division. The gambling company will proceed to seek final judicial approval from the Court on December 5.

The agreement in question relates to HMRC’s investigation into the company’s former business activity in Turkey. While Entain sold its Turkish assets in 2017, the bribery-related offenses of its legacy business continue to haunt the company.

Under the DPA, Entain agreed to pay a financial payment of £585 million ($737.5 million), to make a charitable donation of £20 million ($25 million) and to pay a £10 million ($12.5 million) contribution that covers the HMRC and the CPS’s costs. As per the terms of the deal, the gambling company will pay this money in installments over four years after the DPA secures approval from the Court.

The current settlement will add to Entain’s woes as the company struggles with investor distrust and shareholder disapproval.

Entain Is Committed to Following the Rules

Entrain highlighted its cooperativeness with the HMRC and the CPS and expressed its desire to continue working with the authorities in the future.

Barry Gibson, the company’s chairman, commented on the DPA, explaining:

This legacy matter concerns a business which was sold by a former management team six years ago. The Group has changed immeasurably since these events took place, and the DPA process has provided a reminder of the stark differences between the GVC of yesterday and the Entain of today.

Barry Gibson, chair, Entain

Gibson added that his team is planning to only operate in regulated markets and remain a trusted business. Now a best-in-class responsible operator with high levels of corporate governance, Entain hopes to never repeat its past mistakes.

Entain added that it will release a further announcement after the hearing on December 5.

Earlier this month, Entain’s leadership increased its stake in the company. This move aimed to demonstrate the higher-ups’ trust in the company’s financial position despite the recent setbacks.

A few weeks ago, Entain published its Q3 results, highlighting a net gaming revenue increase of 7%.

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Jackpocket, America’s leading lottery app, announced that three winners in New Jersey recently shared the $533,000 Jersey Cash 5 prize. As a result, each of the lucky players will get $177,685 back home. Two of these players had purchased their tickets via Jackpocket.

Loyalty Rewarded

Jackpocket interviewed Dustin, one of the winners, asking him how he felt. The winner thus provided some insights into his journey to the prize.

Dustin told the lottery app that he had purchased the Quick Pick ticket for the October 2 drawing just as the Powerball jackpot neared $1 billion. The player revealed that he would sometimes play Powerball or Mega Millions for the social aspect but usually prefers Cash 5.

Loyal to his preferences, Dustin went on Jackpocket, spending $20 on a number of tickets. His loyalty was quickly rewarded as he became one of the three Jersey Cash 5 winners.

Dustin learned that he had won the prize in the morning on October 3. At first, he almost couldn’t believe it.

A little confetti thing popped up and I was like, ‘Big win. What is that?’ I was in shock. I’ve had dreams where I’ve won the lotto before, so I was like, ‘This can’t be real.’ It took a while to sink in.

Dustin

Dustin Will Pay Off His Debts

Jackpocket asked Dustin about his plans for the money. To that, the player quickly responded that he was going to pay off his debts. Dustin revealed that he hasn’t truly been debt-free since he was 18.

In addition, the lucky New Jerseyan said that he is likely to buy a new truck. He explained that his current one is too small for him and his family, with his two kids barely fitting in the backseat. Therefore, a big full-size vehicle is on the top of Dustin’s shopping list.

While Dustin is thrilled about the prize, he admitted that he is a bit disappointed he has to share it with two other people. Laughing, he said:

I have to say I’m a little disappointed. The one time I win the lotto, I have to share it.

Dustin

Jersey Cash 5, as the name implies, is a game exclusively available to customers in the state. The game, available on Jackpocket, sports daily drawings and a rolling jackpot and provides customers with opportunities to win huge prizes.

Last month, a Jackpocket player won a $5,750,000 Lucky for Life prize.

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A lucrative promotion offered by the leading online bookmaker, Betr, may result in the largest payout for a single sports event in the history of Australian wagering. Nearly one year ago, the bookmaker released a special 100-1 odds promotion with a wager cap of AU$10 ($6,50) for a handful of sports competitions. Considering the odds, thousands of punters immediately engaged in the promotion, placing different wagers for the World Cup, the Melbourne Cup, as well as the NBA, NRL and the AFL.

But while some have already cashed out their winnings, others preferred to keep their wagers, in particular, the ones placed for the upcoming NRL Grand Final scheduled to take place over the weekend.

With 100-1 odds, if the favorites for the NRL Grand Final, the Penrith Panthers, win the upcoming game, approximately 40,000 punters are expected to receive just above AU$1,000 ($650), a report released by the Australian Financial Review suggests. The approximate total makes a staggering AU$40 million ($26 million), representing the largest payout for a single sports event in the history of wagering in the country.

Panthers’ Win Would Benefit the Bookmaker

Undoubtedly, handing out tens of millions of dollars is the biggest fear for any bookmaker. However, this was not the case for Matt Tripp, the famous entrepreneur behind Betr. After he was interviewed by the publication recently, he explained that he has mixed feelings regarding the outcome of the upcoming NRL Grand Final. Tripp said that people who consider the outcome of the Panthers clinching the win as a surprise for Betr help spread the word about the bookmaker.

Instead of worrying about the hefty sum that would be handed out if the team wins, he predicted that this outcome would actually bring benefits to the bookmaker. “If the Panthers win, nothing would make us happier. We would have tens of millions of dollars injected back into the Betr ecosystem for punters for the next six weeks, which is the most exciting time of the year being Spring Carnival,” explained Tripp.

Earlier this year, long ahead of the NRL Grand Final, Betr reportedly offered customers who have placed wagers on the Panthers a refund and to cash out ahead of the competition. While some punters may have accepted that offer, others who kept their wager were notified recently that the processing of payouts may be delayed. Betr revealed that the processing of the wagers may go on for a week, but no later than October 6, 2023.

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Steve Wynn, the former CEO of Wynn Resorts, has agreed to pay a fine of $10 million to settle his outstanding trouble in Nevada. In addition, the mogul will leave Nevada gaming for good.

Mr Wynn has been in hot water in the state after he was accused of sexual abuse and misconduct against female employees in 2019. At the time, Wynn served as chairman of the company.

As a result of the allegations, Wynn was deemed unsuitable to hold a gaming license in the state. In his new settlement, he agrees to never be involved in Nevada’s gaming industry. This means that he will never serve as an officer or executive with a Nevada gaming company. However, he will not be disallowed to have passive ownership of less than 5% of any licensed gaming company.

Wynn signed the agreement this Monday. If the Nevada Gaming Control Board signs off the settlement, this would mark the end of the four-year conflict. The authority is expected to make its decision next week.

Representatives of the two parties declined to comment on the matter before the commission makes its final decision. Despite that, Kirk Hendrick, chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board signed the settlement.

Wynn’s Alleged Misconduct Caused His Company a Lot of Trouble

In 2018, Steve Wynn sold his Wynn Resorts stock, resigned from his position as CEO and gave up on his gambling license. Because of that, he claimed that gaming authorities should not have power over him. In addition, the real-estate developer continues to deny the allegations.

In 2020, a judge agreed that Wynn should be outside of the control board’s jurisdiction. However, the regulator succeeded in appealing the decision in 2022.

Now, despite his denial of the accusations, Wynn has agreed to forfeit his right to a public hearing and pay a $10 million settlement. However, even if the Gaming Control Board agrees to sign the settlement, he will still be subject to disciplinary action, should he breach the terms.

In addition to the action against Steve Wynn, the Nevada regulator previously reprimanded Wynn Resorts over its failure to report, investigate or prevent Wynn’s misconduct. As a result, the company was forced to pay a $20 million fine. The allegations also led to the company paying a $35 million fine in Massachusetts.

Following Wynn’s leave, the company introduced changes to its policies in the hope of weeding out harassment from its corporate culture.

In other news, the US government appealed a decision that exonerated Wynn from foreign agent allegations.

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Karen Brailsford, a former employee of Derbyshire firm Urban Design and Development, has been ordered to sell her house, Mercedes car, personalized number plate, and designer goods to pay back a portion of the £1.6 million ($2 million) that she stole from her employer. 

Former Employee Forced to Sell Assets to Pay for Fraudulent Actions

Financial investigators at Derbyshire police discovered that the 53-year-old only has £130,314.59 ($164,242) left to her name, which will come from the sale of the items she still owns, The Derbyshire Telegraph reported. The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) allows the police to seize cash from criminals who have made their money from illegal gains. In this case, the judge ordered the sum to be paid as compensation to her former employer. If Brailsford comes into money later in life that she does not currently have, police can still apply to have it seized.

At her sentencing hearing last year, it was revealed that Brailsford falsified invoices to fund her gambling impulses. At its peak, she took £300,000 ($378,106) from the company in one year, and she had already taken £29,000 ($36,542) in 2021 before being caught. 

Brailsford claimed her actions were an error, but the directors were unsatisfied with her response. When confronted, Brailsford confessed to what she had been doing and that she had been stealing from them for some time. Brailsford pleaded guilty to a single count of fraud by abuse of position, telling the police that she was desperate for the money, which was why she did it in such an obvious way.

Woman Steals from Company to Fund Gambling Addiction and Buy Holiday Caravans

Police found that Brailsford had spent £298,867.36 ($376,658) on gambling, sent some of the money to her children, and bought two-holiday caravans. 

The company’s managing director, Mr. Dawson, stated that the business had lost out financially and that he had struggled to keep his work and home life separate because of the incident. 

According to Nicola Hornby, who was representing Brailsford, there were no significant assets that could be traced and Brailsford had nothing to present as evidence. She also noted that Brailsford had made admissions when charged, had been suffering from depression, for which she takes medication, and that her imprisonment would have an impact on her children and elderly father.

When sentencing Brailsford, recorder Tim Spruce acknowledged that her methods were not unsophisticated and that she had access to critical financial control. He noted that Brailsford had planned the fraud to go unnoticed and ordered her to sell her assets to repay her former employer.

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888, William Hill’s ownership company, released a statement regarding the fine imposed by the United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission. As the group had previously announced, it is prepared to take responsibility for its subsidiary’s past failures.

Earlier today, the UKGC slammed the British operator with a £19.2 million ($23.67 million), the largest penalty it has ever handed to an operator in the UK.

The fine stems from William Hill’s past failings. Between 2020 and 2021, the British gambling company breached many social responsibility and anti-money laundering regulations. The investigation found William Hill guilty of not providing customers with sufficient safeguards, allowing new players to lose thousands of pounds in a single sitting and failing to check the source of funds of its customers, among other breaches.

The regulator said that had even considered suspending William Hill’s license but decided not to because of the operator’s cooperation and willingness to improve its practices.

888 Will Make Sure William Hill Does Better

Despite its recent struggles, 888, which acquired William Hill last year, said that it is prepared to pay the regulatory settlement and has set enough money aside in its accounts.

A spokesperson from the 888 emphasized that William Hill will do better under the new management and will follow a strict plan to address its past failings:

The settlement relates to the period when William Hill was under the previous ownership and management. After William Hill was acquired, the company quickly addressed the identified issues with the implementation of a rigorous action plan.

888 statement

The spokesperson added that the entire 888 shares the UKGC’s commitment to improving compliance standards across Britain’s gaming industry. As a result, 888 vowed to continue working closely with the regulator and other stakeholders to prevent future violations.

A Brief History of 888’s Acquisition of William Hill

888 acquired William Hill from Caesars Entertainment for approximately $2.5 billion. The deal, approved by almost all of 888’s stakeholders, had to be amended because of changes to the macroeconomic and regulatory landscape before closing. Soon after the acquisition, 888 introduced major changes to William Hill’s team, appointing new executives to oversee the business.

888 was always prepared to cover the fine. Despite that, the regulatory settlement comes at a somewhat inconvenient time for the company, which has been experiencing various hurdles over the past few months. The company’s latest financial reports highlighted the continuous declines in certain metrics. At the same time, the company faces regulatory problems in Austria and Gibraltar.

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In September 2021, the regulator launched a thorough evaluation of Blue Star Planet Limited, the company behind the 10Bet brand, after an investigation uncovered that the operator had several substantial problems with anti-money laundering (AML) policies and responsible gambling. 10Bet has taken steps to remedy these shortcomings, which is why the UKGC agreed to a settlement instead of a fine.

AML and Safe Gambling Measures Were Ineffective

According to the UKGC’s public statement, Blue Star Planet Limited was responsible for several egregious license breaches between November 2019 and June 2021. An investigation and subsequent section 116 regulatory review found failings in the operator’s processes aimed at preventing Money Laundering and protecting vulnerable people. Commissioners also uncovered weaknesses in its reporting arrangements, which was a substantial aggravating factor.

Blue Star has accepted the UKGC’s findings and acknowledged its shortcomings. The company agrees that its measures to limit customer deposits and prevent overspending were too relaxed. AML risk alert limits were also too high to be effective, and many clients managed to deposit significant amounts before any risk profiling occurred. The regulator also noted that the automated restrictions meant to limit high-velocity gambling were largely inefficient.

The Regulator Urged Other Operators to Take Notice

The UKGC’s report listed several aggravating and mitigating factors which informed their final verdict. It stated that the breaches were serious and directly impacted licensing objectives. The operator’s shortcomings also likely affected clients outside the scope of the investigation. According to the Commission, Blue Star’s senior management should have been aware of these issues but did nothing to remedy them.

However, the regulator noted that 10Bet took extensive steps to mitigate the issues, recognized its failings early, and cooperated with the Commission, promoting a more lenient verdict. The UKGC claims this case should serve as an example for the wider industry and urged other operators to review their compliance procedures.

Gambling operators should take account of the failings identified in this investigation.

UKGC official statement regarding Blue Star Planet Limited

Despite the severity of the violations, 10Bet managed to get away relatively scot-free. The operator must pay £620,000, which will go towards socially responsible causes. An additional £3,571.25 will be necessary to cover the Commission’s expenses regarding the case, and Blue Star must consent to the publication of the case details.

Overall, the UK regulator has had a busy start to the new year. The Commission already fined three other operators for similar violations. Vbet and TonyBet received relatively minor punishments, while Touch Games got slapped with a hefty $7.5 million (£6.1 million) fine due to its continuous failings. Such sanctions may seem heavy-handed, but a proactive and potent regulator is necessary for a healthy gaming ecosystem.

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