A Nashville man has taken BetMGM to court in Tennessee, arguing the sportsbook let him continue gambling for years after he had formally asked to be blocked. The case, now in Davidson County Chancery Court, claims that the company failed to honor its own self-exclusion rules.
Dilvar Tayip says he signed up for Tennessee’s voluntary self-exclusion list on June 16, 2021. On that same day, he also enrolled in BetMGM’s separate exclusion program. According to his amended petition, both were supposed to keep him from betting until June 16, 2026.
Court filings describe Tayip as an experienced sports bettor who had previously seen financial success. Still, he decided in 2021 to step away from gambling entirely for five years. His lawsuit says the state removed him from its list earlier than expected, in May 2023, but insists that change should not have affected BetMGM’s independent restriction.
He points directly to the company’s own policy, which states, “Self-exclusion is irrevocable and binding for the entire selected duration. Once a customer selects a self-exclusion period, it cannot be reversed or shortened under any circumstances. Removal from a state list does not alter or override the operator’s separate exclusion obligations.”
What the BetMGM lawsuit in Tennessee claims happened next
Tayip argues that despite that language, BetMGM allowed him to resume wagering shortly after his removal from the state list. He says he continued placing bets from May 2023 through roughly June 2025, with total wins and losses nearing $300,000 during that stretch.
The filing also leans on another part of BetMGM’s policy, which says any wagers placed by a self-excluded user should be voided and refunded. Instead, Tayip claims those bets were processed normally.
BetMGM app displays active three-leg parlay with $1,000 stake and live cash-out offer. Credit: Dilvar Tayip vs BetMG<
As part of the complaint, his attorneys included screenshots they say show wagers placed while the exclusion remained active. One example shows a March 23, 2025 parlay with a $1,000 stake and a possible payout of $7,454.55. Additional records point to bets from May 6, 2025, including wagers of $1,454 and $750.
The lawsuit accuses BetMGM of a wide range of violations, including breaches of the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act and the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act. It also alleges negligence, fraud, unjust enrichment, and breach of contract. The filing states BetMGM “knew, or should have known,” that Tayip was vulnerable after formally requesting to be excluded through 2026. It further claims the company encouraged him to return to betting and, in earlier filings tied to a federal case record, advised him on how to leave the state exclusion list early.
Tayip is asking for repayment of the money he wagered during that period, along with additional damages, attorney fees, and other relief.
Other reports have pointed to alleged underage marketing emails tied to BetMGM in Massachusetts and a separate class action lawsuit against DraftKings accusing the company of exploiting users with gambling addictions.
Meanwhile, a March 2026 court order shows Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles split Tayip’s original filing, directing that administrative appeals and separate claims move forward independently under different case numbers.
ReadWrite has reached out to BetMGM for comment.
Featured image: BetMGM / Canva
