Iowa fines local gambling operators for variety of breaches

Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has fined a host of gambling companies operating in its jurisdiction for failing to comply with its regulations. The affected entities got handed a fine of $20,000 each, which is the typical amount fined for first-time offenders.

In a news report from Radio Iowa, a local news outlet, the erring operators named were Diamond Jo Worth Casino, Horseshoe Casino and online gaming operator Rush Street Interactive. The fines were announced by Brian Ohorilko, the administrator of the agency.

For Diamond Jo Worth Casino, it was fined because it permitted an underage player to gamble for two and half hours without anyone stopping them. Underage gambling is strictly forbidden in Iowa, much like other states in the United States.

The breach at Diamond Jo Worth happened May 2022 and was because of negligent security workers. The commission did not add more punishment because it was the casino’s first time.

Horseshoe Casino ended on the wrong side of the state’s gambling laws when it failed to help an individual self-exclude at its venue.

The individual in question asked to be excluded from playing but because Horseshoe did not have staff capable of enrolling people into the self-exclusion register, the casino referred it to another casino. This was why the commission fined them as there should have been at least one member of staff that could do the job.

Rush Street Interactive, on the other hand, was fined because it accepts credit cards from customers. The online sportsbook earned close to $10,000 from as many as 42 credit cards.

However, the fault was not with Rush Street Interactive but its payment platforms that allowed the transactions to scale through. Despite that, the commission rules the operator should have been more careful in choosing payment partners and so are still liable for the offense.

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