DraftKings Fined, Players Refunded for Unwinnable Slot Glitch 

Leading U.S. online gambling operator DraftKings has been fined $19,000 by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (CDCP). That’s after it accidentally put out an online slot game with zero return to the player.

From August 15 to August 21, 2023, more than 500 Connecticut residents wagered just shy of $24,000 in total on Deal or No Deal Banker’s Bonanza. Not a single cent was won back. The players hit the game’s reels more than 20,000 times without a winner.

The game had an advertised Return to Player (RTP) of 95%. But it turned out one of DraftKings’ slot suppliers, White Hat Gaming, had instead launched the title with a 0% return to player. That means it would literally never pay out a winning spin. 

DraftKings fixed the error and returned the wagered money within three days. However, it failed to inform Connecticut’s gambling regulator, and it wasn’t until players reported the incident that authorities became aware and investigated independently. 

The Game and The Error 

Deal or No Deal Banker’s Bonanza launched on August 15, 2023,  on DraftKings’ Connecticut online casino platform. The game was developed and delivered to the platform by European casino game developer White Hat Gaming. 

It is based on the globally syndicated TV game show, Deal or No Deal. 

But this latest slot game in a long-running series wasn’t a good deal for unsuspecting players. More than 20,600 spins were wagered over the following days before DraftKings began receiving reports that the game was not paying out anything. 

Statistically, hundreds of spins without a payout is not impossible. But given the weighted randomness of the machines that ensures they pay out according to their RTP protocol over large gameplay numbers, it is exceedingly unlikely. And to happen to a hundred or more players, even more so.

Modern slots usually also feature small wins that pay out less than the stake on a more regular basis. So online slots players are used to more frequent wins. The circumstances were clear enough that most gamblers would recognize that something was up after just a few dozen spins without any kind of win. 

Sure enough, DraftKings soon found that someone at White Hat Gaming had accidentally set the RTP of the game to 0% instead of 95%. DraftKings fixed the problem on August 21. 

The Investigation 

Although some filed complaints at the time, many players who only played a few dead spins before closing the game also received refunds. And they weren’t told why they received the credit back to their accounts. 

Neither DraftKings or White Hat told regulators about the mess until August 31. That’s after the game was fixed and relaunched. 

The CDCP investigators found that dozens of customers had attempted to contact DraftKings showing proof of the glitch, but were ignored while the company investigated internally. 

According to local news outlet CTInsider, one customer was told there was nothing wrong with the slot, and that they were simply on a cold streak. Another had their account temporarily suspended and were referred to state problem gambling services. 

Regulators said they were otherwise happy with White Hat Gaming’s response to the investigation. 

DraftKings was fined $19,000 and White Hat Gaming was fined $2,000. Both parties said no more incidents of such nature have occurred since. 

“Our customers’ satisfaction and the integrity of our products are central to our success,” DraftKings said in a statement. 

“We have robust measures to monitor potential payout issues, and we investigate any concerns promptly. In the event of a game not functioning as intended, we ensure impacted customers are appropriately refunded.”