Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
draft king Another gambling company has been fined a total of $22,500 by the state of Connecticut for operating an online slot game that exceeded 20,600 spins in one week in August 2023 and failed to pay out winnings to any winners.
this game, To trade or not to trade a banker’s fortunewhich advertises a game that pays out nearly 95 cents for every $1 wagered.
But according to a Connecticut report, from August 15 to August 21 of last year, 522 players in Connecticut bet nearly $24,000 on more than 20,659 spins of the game without winning. . Department of Consumer Protection.
The report begins by detailing the report, stating that “it is virtually impossible for any customer in Connecticut to win in the game during the seven days it was live on the gaming platform.” CT Insider News outlets on Tuesday.
A spokesman for DCP said: “This is the first incident (in the state) of an online slot machine not paying out prizes as advertised.”
News Background | Stocks | Getty Images
The report found that neither DraftKings nor the game’s producers, white hat gamesnotified the consumer protection department of the issue until the department requested information from the companies on August 31 last year.
Customers complained about the situation more than a week ago, and an internal investigation by White Hat Gaming determined the cause of the in-advertisement payment issues.
According to a consumer protection investigation, a file in the game software was not loading correctly. After the fix, the game was relaunched on August 22.
About a week ago, on August 16, a player told DraftKings in an online complaint that they had played the 20-cent bet “hundreds of times” and “not a single win or partial win.” Summary of Complaint.
“I think RTP is incorrect,” the customer wrote, using the gambling abbreviation “Return to Player.”
A DraftKings representative wrote a response to customers on Aug. 17, saying there was no problem.
“I understand how frustrating it can be when you don’t win,” the representative wrote. “However, all casino games are random, regardless of who the player is or how long they play.”
Responding to a second customer’s complaint about multiple spins without seeing a payout, another company representative assured players that casino platforms are regulated by the Department of Consumer Protection and are “regularly monitored to ensure fairness.”
The representative also told players that they have the option to “self-regulate your game” but set limits on betting on the platform.
On August 20, another customer wrote to DraftKings saying that he had played the game more than 100 times but had not received any winnings.
“I think this is a problem because I have never played a slot game where I didn’t win a penny in more than 100 spins,” the player wrote.
In response to the complaint, a representative for DraftKings wrote: “I know it can be frustrating to be a little cold, but I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with the game itself.”
Three days ago, DraftKings notified White Hat of three customer complaints about non-payment for the game, and White Hat’s business intelligence team discovered an issue with the game’s RTP settings, according to the Consumer Protection Investigation. The company responded.
On August 29, a full week after White Hat discovered the glitch and fixed the game, “all customers were ultimately refunded within the affected week,” without any notification from DraftKings stating the reason for the refund. DCP said in its report.
In January, White Hat agreed to pay a $3,500 penalty to DCP to settle allegations that the game violated state regulations by operating with a 0% return to player rate for a week and that the company failed to comply with reporting obligations.
In April, DraftKings agreed to pay the department $19,000 to settle the same charges.
Kaitlyn Krasselt, a spokesperson for the Department of Consumer Protection, told CNBC that while “white hat companies responded promptly to inquiries from DCP investigators…DraftKings’ response to consumer complaints was unsatisfactory.”
“As a result of the DCP investigation, (DraftKings) was directed to implement stricter internal controls over its products, submit regular new game reports to the DCP and improve its consumer complaint process,” Krasselt said.
She also said last year’s slot machine gaming incident “is a good example of how, if we don’t intervene, these incidents may not be taken seriously until our investigators get involved.”
“Customer satisfaction and the integrity of our products are core to our success,” a DraftKings spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.
“We have robust measures in place to monitor potential payment issues and we will investigate any issues immediately. If a game does not run as expected, we will ensure affected customers receive appropriate refunds,” the spokesperson said.
“The issue in Connecticut was caused by an error on the part of the game developer. We became aware of a possible issue within 48 hours of launch and immediately escalated it for investigation. All affected customers will be affected after A full refund was received within days of the issue being resolved and we have not experienced any similar issues with this supplier.
“Providing a fun, fair and transparent gaming experience is White Hat Studios’ top priority,” White Hat Studios, the gaming division of White Hat, said in a statement to CNBC.
“Regarding a technical glitch that occurred during one of our 2023 games with DraftKings in Connecticut, we took immediate action as soon as we became aware of the situation,” the company said. “This was a one-time incident and all affected players were Got a full refund from DraftKings.”
“We take player protection very seriously and are working closely with regulators and DraftKings to resolve this issue.”
About The Author
