Convicted Felon Suing NJ BetMGM Online Casino for Exploitation

New York’s Sam A. Antar is taking on a major online casino in New Jersey, stating that BetMGM took advantage of his gambling addiction. Antar is a convicted felon that believes the online casino provider knowingly exploited him for profit. Court documents show that the brand solicited the plaintiff just days after he left prison for fraud. The suit charges BetMGM with several violations, including negligence.

Court documents outline what Antar believes to be the exploitation of his compulsive gambling behavior by BetMGM NJ. The plaintiff states that he would part at rest stops in New Jersey as he traveled to the state from New York to play. He would use the stops to access the online casino app of BetMGM.

Antar first filed the lawsuit in 2022, and included nine counts against the operator. This time around, the suit has three counts and claims that the online casino violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, unjust enrichment, and exerted negligence against the plaintiff.

From May 2019 to January 2020, Antar says he wagered close to $30 million. Over 100,000 wagers were placed online, and he traveled to Atlantic City to gamble more than 30 times. The lawsuit claims the plaintiff is a compulsive gambler that is vulnerable.

The filing says that BetMGM NJ, the Borgata Casino, MGM Resorts International, and Entain knowingly took advantage of Antar. He claims that employees of the companies enticed him relentlessly while knowing he was addicted to gambling.

Back in December, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the case. The motion pointed out that Antar is a convicted felon and repeat offender of fraud, having taken hundreds of thousands from several individuals.

In the initial filing, Antar claimed that he experienced glitches with online blackjack and other casino games. The titles would disconnect frequently, and this would occur during favorable hands. The player says that the operator would give him free bets when he told BetMGM he would contact the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement.

The court documents report more than 1,800 texts between representatives of BetMGM Casino and Antar. The texts reportedly show how the employees enticed him to keep gambling. He also says that he was on the self-exclusion list in New Jersey, took himself off, and BetMGM knew this.

The gambling by Antar occurred while he was waiting for his sentence for stealing from a New Jersey investor. Antar took almost $800,000 from one individual. The court gave him three years for the incident beginning in December 2022. By March 28, 2023, he was released on probation.

On March 30, Antar was contacted by BetMGM. The court documents say that the brand emailed Antar nine times from March 30 to May 1. That may seem excessive, but do we know if Antar had logged back into his account once he was released from prison? If so, this may have been what triggered the emails to be sent.

Could it be that BetMGM Casino did take advantage of Antar, or is the criminal trying to gain a financial advantage to be able to gamble more or pay back people he owes? It is unclear, but the suit is a big issue for BetMGM.

The brand is among the largest online sports betting and casino gaming providers. They are well-respected and do adhere to rules and regulations. If they are found guilty of the suit, it would be a big blow to the brand’s reputation. We expect BetMGM will fight the suit and try to show how they were not negligent in any way.