A series of mismanaged blackjack and roulette sessions has landed online gambling tech firm Evolution in hot water with New Jersey regulators. The state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) imposed a $12,000 fine on the company after multiple rule violations at its live dealer facilities came to light.
Each incident, documented between 2021 and 2023, points to lapses in both dealer performance and oversight, with officials calling the mistakes “impermissible.”
Misdeals, Miscommunication, and Missteps
The earliest flagged error occurred on June 15, 2021, inside Evolution’s live dealer studio at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. During a blackjack game, a dealer mistakenly skipped his own hand while dealing to players. When the mistake was realized, staff tried to reposition the dealt cards instead of following the correct procedure, which requires the dealer to draw an additional card without touching the others. That dealer was formally reprimanded.
Fast-forward to January 6, 2023, and a different kind of mistake surfaced—this time involving incorrect visual information at another blackjack table in the same studio. The on-screen table layout wrongly told players the dealer “must stand on 17 and must draw on 16,” which contradicted the actual rule that required dealers to hit on a soft 17. The misleading layout stayed up for more than a full day, and dealers followed it—albeit incorrectly—throughout. Still, no disciplinary action was taken.
Roulette operations were also found lacking. On March 23, 2023, several dealers failed to spin the ball with enough force to complete the mandatory four revolutions before landing. Five dealers later told state officials they didn’t even know that was a rule. Again, no disciplinary measures were issued.
One of the more glaring issues happened at Evolution’s studio inside Ocean Casino Resort on September 19, 2023. For over 16 hours, blackjack was dealt using two incomplete decks that were missing five cards in total. Across 438 rounds, this went unnoticed before being corrected. The DGE did not report any consequences for the staff involved in that case either.
Additional Action Targets Ineligible Player Winnings
In a separate announcement, the DGE revealed that $186,184 in winnings had been forfeited by individuals who were not legally allowed to gamble—either because they were under the age of 21 or had voluntarily self-excluded from gambling activities.
Under state law, if more than $100,000 in such funds are collected, $50,000 is allocated to programs that combat and treat problem gambling. The remainder goes to the Casino Revenue Fund, which provides services for seniors and individuals with disabilities, including transportation, healthcare assistance, and in-home care support.
In addition, a proposal set for public vote in November 2024 could allow the state to claim funds left dormant in online gambling accounts after a certain period. These would be redirected to New Jersey’s unclaimed property program.
Source:
“Online gambling firm Evolution fined for missing cards in blackjack deck, bad roulette spins”, pressofatlanticcity.com, Aug 19, 2025
The post Repeated Live Dealer Blunders Cost Evolution $12K Fine in New Jersey first appeared on RealMoneyAction.com.