BetMGM Faces Lawsuit for Coercing а Client Not to Report Glitchy App
A new lawsuit against gaming giant BetMGM was filed in the New Jersey Superior Court. A New York man suffering from severe gambling addiction is suing the operator for allegedly trying to cover up constant disconnections and similar issues by offering him substantial bonuses and further fueling his compulsive behavior.
The Plaintiff Suffers from Severe Gambling Addiction
The man behind the lawsuit is Sam A. Antar, a New Yorker suffering from an extreme case of gambling addiction, who even resorted to crime at one point to continue betting. In 2019 he pleaded guilty in New Jersey Superior Court to running a fraudulent investment scheme. Six years prior, he got sentenced to 21 months behind bars for absconding with $225,000.
Antar funneled all his wealth towards satiating his gaming habit. According to the lawsuit, he managed to wager over $29 million between May 2019 and January 2020. Giving into his obsession, he gambled almost without pause, racking up over 100,000 bets online and visiting BetMGM-owned Borgata Casino more than 30 times.
BetMGM Refused to Fix the Problem App
The lawsuit alleges that BetMGM tried to purposefully dissuade Antar from reporting severe issues with some of the operator’s online offerings. According to the plaintiff, he experienced disconnects roughly every 30 minutes, often during profitable sessions, wiping away his progress.
Despite constant attempts to contact customer service and report the problem, the operator was unable to fix the issues despite being aware of them. A recorded conversation with an account manager insinuates that the company was unwilling to suspend the problem game because it was too profitable. The lawsuit claims that disconnection issues cost Antar hundreds of thousands in missed profits and provides a substantial amount of screenshots and official correspondence as evidence.
The Operator Offered Antar Bonuses for His Silence
According to Antar, BetMGM employees attempted to prevent him from reporting the ongoing issues to the regulator by offering him generous bonuses to remain silent. After agreeing, he started to receive regular free betting credits, at one point amounting to over $30,000 a month. However, the extra cash only exacerbated his already strong addiction. Instead of attempting to solve the disconnection issues, an account manager reportedly responded to Antar’s requests by offering him a $5,000 weekly deposit match bonus.
The operator allegedly banned Antar from all their venues and online apps in January 2020. However, seven months later, the plaintiff received a promotional email asking him to continue wagering with the platform.
BetMGM officials have so far refused to comment on the case. Additional details will likely become available once the lawsuit begins.
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