Connecticut

DraftKings fined in Connecticut for online slot machines that paid zero wins for a week

Published

3 months ago

September 3, 2024

DraftKings fined in Connecticut for online slot machines that paid zero wins for a week

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

DraftKings and another gambling company were fined a total of $22,500 by the state of Connecticut for operating an online slot machine game that failed to pay any winners on more than 20,600 spins over one week in August 2023.

The game, Deal or No Deal Banker’s Bonanza, was advertised to pay out almost 95 cents for every dollar wagered on the game.

But from Aug. 15 through Aug. 21 last year, a total of 522 people in Connecticut who wagered nearly $24,000 on the game over more than 20,659 spins received no wins, according to a report by Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection.

“Effectively, it was impossible for any Connecticut patron to achieve a win on the game for a period of 7 days, while live on the gaming platform,” according to the report, which was first detailed by the CT Insider news outlet on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the DCP said, “It was the first incident [in the state] where an online slot machine was not paying out as advertised.”

Audioundwerbung | Istock | Getty Images

The report found that neither DraftKings and the game’s producer, White Hat Gaming, notified Consumer Protection of the problem until the department requested information from the companies on Aug. 31 last year.

That was more than a week after customers complained about the situation, and after an internal investigation by White Hat Gaming determined the cause of the problem in paying out as advertised.

A file in the game’s software had not been loaded properly, according to the Consumer Protection probe. The game was relaunched on Aug. 22 after a fix was implemented.

Nearly a week earlier, on Aug. 16, a player told DraftKings in an online complaint that they had played “a couple hundred spins” of bets of 20 cents apiece, “and not had one single winning spin or partial win,” according to a summary of complaints reviewed in the probe.

“I believe that RTP is incorrect,” wrote the customer, using the gambling acronym “Return to Player.”

A DraftKings representative wrote the customer in response on Aug. 17, suggesting there was no problem.

“I understand how frustrating it can be when you haven’t hit a win,” the rep wrote. “However, all casino games are random, regardless of the player or length of time you’ve been playing.”

Another company rep, in response to a second customer’s complaint about many spins without seeing a payout, assured the player that the casino platform was regulated by the Consumer Protection Department and “are monitored on a regular basis to ensure fairness.”

The rep also told the player that there was an option to “self-regulate your play” but setting limits on wagers on the platform.

Another customer on Aug. 20 wrote DraftKings that he had played the game with more than 100 spins without a payout.

“I believe this is a problem as I have never played a slot game where I haven’t won a single cent in over 100 spins,” the player wrote.

In a response to that complaint, a DraftKings rep wrote, “I understand it can be frustrating to have a bit of a cold streak, but I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with the game itself.”

That response came three days after DraftKings had informed White Hat of three patron complaints about the game not paying out and after White Hat’s business intelligence team discovered an issue with the RTP settings on the game, according to the Consumer Protection Probe.

On Aug. 29, a full week after White Hat identified the glitch and fixed it the game, “all patrons were eventually refunded” on their play during the affected week “without any notification from Draft Kings” about the reason for the refund, the DCP said in its report.

In January, White Hat agreed to pay the DCP $3,500 in fines to settle allegations that the game operated for a week with a 0% Return to Player in violation of state regulations and that the company failed to comply with reporting obligations.

In April, DraftKings agreed to pay the department $19,000 to settle the same allegations.

CT LIVE!: Connecticut Ballet Presents “The Nutcracker”

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9 minutes ago

December 17, 2024

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CT LIVE!: Connecticut Ballet Presents “The Nutcracker”

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Connecticut

Final Top 10 Connecticut High School Football Rankings (12/16/2024)

Published

8 hours ago

December 17, 2024

Press Room

Final Top 10 Connecticut High School Football Rankings (12/16/2024)

The 2024 Connecticut high school football season is now in the books and now teams prepare for the off-season.

The No. 1 team in the Constitution State continues to be Choate Rosemary Hall School after a strong victory over Brunswick Academy a few weeks ago. New Canaan finishes tops among public schools in the state.

Before all the programs head into basketball season, we have the final complete breakdown of the elite Connecticut high school football teams, as we see them.

Another private school that’s loaded with talent across the board is Choate Rosemary Hall School. The Wild Boars picked up win No. 6, 34-7 over Loomis Chaffee School. Connecticut’s top player per 247Sports resides at Choate Rosemary in 4-star offensive lineman Will Black, who is committed to Notre Dame. Choate Rosemary Hall School takes the top spot after defeating Brunswick Academy, 27-9.

A private school that’s loaded with talent across the board is Brunswick School, with Notre Dame commitment Blake Hebert running the show offensively. He’s got Notre Dame commit Matty Augustine on one side and Syracuse commit Jaylen Pray on the other. The Bruins did lose their first game of the season against Phillips Exeter Academy, 34-26, a few weeks ago. Brunswick Academy drops from the top spot after a 27-9 loss to Choate Rosemary Hall School.

The Beavers opened up the season with a loss, but bounced back with a Week 2 victory over Kent School, 42-6. In Week 3, AOF fell to No. 1 Brunswick Scool, 28-7. They feature one of the state’s most overall talented programs. Avon Old Farms has 3-star offensive tackle Owen Aliciene (Penn State commitment) and 3-star defensive lineman Dante Recker (Maryland commitment) highlighting a very talented roster. Even with a loss to Choate Rosemary Hall School, Avon Old Farms remains secure at the third spot despite dropping a fourth game, this time to Phillips Exeter Academy.

Killingly’s Hayden Allard looks for some running room against New Canaan during the Class L quarterfinals last season. / Jimmy Zanor/Norwich Bulletin / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Rams finished the season winning the state’s Class L state championship game with a 35-21 victory over Darien. New Canaan finishes up what has been an impressive season in which they picked up victories over teams like Ludlowe, Staples and Wilton, respectively.

Greenwich Football/Facebook

After getting shellacked by Staples back on Thanksgiving, 27-0, the Cardinals re-paid the favor to the Wreckers in the state semifinals. Greenwich won 14-0, sending them off to the Class LL state championship game and Tony Marello’s squad won by the same score once again. Greenwich claimed the state’s highest classification championship with another 14-0 win over West Haven.

Back in the rankings and it’s oh so sweet for Steve Christy and his bunch. The Panthers barely edged out Windsor, 24-21, for the Class MM state championship last week behind a strong effort from quarterback Aaron Champagne.

Windsor Football (CT) runs out on the field in the 2024 season / Windsor Football/Facebook

When it comes to the public schools, Windsor has proven to being one of the state’s best. The Warriors’ undefeated run, however, came to a end last week in Windsor’s 24-21 loss to Masuk in the Class MM state championship game.

The Blue Wave saw its season come to a close with a 35-21 loss to New Canaan in the Class L state championship game. Darien had themselves a solid season and were in the conversation all season long to win it all.

Taking Fairfield Prep off this list and standing in their place is the Blue Devils after they handily routed the Jesuits, 42-7. West Haven fell just short of winning it all in Class LL with a 14-0 loss to Greenwich.

Staples Wreckers Football / Staples Wreckers Football official websit

The Wreckers made a valiant effort in attempting to defend their Class LL state championship, but their run came up just short in the state semifinal round. Staples fell, 14-0, to Greenwich last week.

On the bubble: Ansonia, Bunnell, Fairfield Prep, Glastonbury, Killingly, New Britian, Newtown

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveconn

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Hartford mayor reveals list of ‘problem landlords' in the city

Published

16 hours ago

December 16, 2024

Press Room

Hartford mayor reveals list of ‘problem landlords' in the city

Putting problem landlords on notice in Hartford. The mayor revealed a list of landlords Monday he says violated the city’s housing code multiple times, including one the city is looking to get prosecuted for dragging their feet on repairs.

“We just want this to be over. It’s been a long four months,” Marisol Navarro, a Concord Hills Apartments tenant, said.

She’s tired of the uncertainty of where she will live next month. Navarro is one of about 30 households still in temporary housing after a fire in August at the Concord Hills Apartments in Hartford.

Navarro and other tenants have been frustrated with their landlord Greyhill Group for delays in repairs to the point they protested in front of their offices in New York City last week. They’ve also pushed Mayor Arunan Arulampalam to take forceful action against the landlord.

“The city makes Greyhill accountable, make them fix the apartments so we can return and go back to our happy place,” Navarro said.

On Monday, Arulamapalam announced the city would seek criminal charges against Greyhill Group through the State’s Attorney’s Office, saying it violated the city’s housing ordinances.

“There will be consequences, there will be accountability, and we will hold you to account,” he said.

The mayor also revealed a list of three out-of-state landlords he said have not been taking care of the buildings or tenants. That includes PAXE properties, which is owned by Aron Puretz of New York.

The city said multiple PAXE properties had to be vacated due to unsafe conditions, with 13 buildings in foreclosure and/or receivership.

The city also said landlord Moshe Grossbard of New York had notices for violating building codes, with liens on multiple properties for unpaid fines.

Finally, Whitehead Estates LLC, owned by Bishop Lamor Whitehead of New Jersey, had 24 units condemned by the city for no heat or water. Whitehead is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence after being convicted on fraud charges.

“If you don’t shape up, we are going to drive you out of the city. We’re going to make it hard for you to do business,” Arulampalam said.

Navarro said it sends a clear message that enough is enough when it comes to treating tenants right.

“Landlords in the state of Connecticut need to know that they cannot play with peoples’ lives,” she said.

Arulampalam also said Greyhill Group threatened to sue him in his personal capacity over comments he made about the dispute over repairs at Concord Hills.

NBC Connecticut reached out to the attorneys representing Greyhill Group for comment, but didn’t hear back.

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