Caesars fined $150,000 in first Ohio case

The first of the fines for violating the rules in the new US sports betting jurisdiction of Ohio has been levied against Caesars.

The company has been hit with a $150,000 fine by the Ohio Casino Control Commission for breaking advertising rules. It is the first of an expected several fines imposed on operators in the new highly-contested market.

DraftKings, Penn Entertainment and BetMGM are all similarly in the frame for offences in the new jurisdiction.

In the case of the Caesars offence, the company was found guilty of sending out sports betting advertising on platforms that did not carry the necessary responsible gaming message.

And Caesars, along with DraftKings and BetMGM, also promoted bonuses that used the term “free” or “isk-free” while the players were asked to risk their own money to obtain the promotion.

The commission noted that Caesars had acted very promptly to correct its mistakes once made aware of them. The company told the commission that the problem had arisen through a third-party marketing affiliate that did not follow the correct procedures.

At the same commission hearing, WynnBET was granted a mobile management service provider licence for the Ohio imarket.