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Joins 50 Attorneys General in Calling for Increased DOJ Enforcement Actions Against Harmful Illegal Online Sports Betting and Gaming Operations
BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a bipartisan multistate coalition of 50 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to assist in addressing the rampant spread of illegal offshore gaming across the country. The coalition stressed the need for action to combat harm to the rule of law, consumers, and the economy from an unprecedented growth in illicit online gambling.
The request to the DOJ was made in a letter sent by Attorney General Brown and the coalition to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Illegal online sports betting and gaming operations are largely operated by foreign-based companies that routinely operate without proper licensure, offer limited or non-existent consumer protections, fail to effectively verify the identity or age of users, ignore state boundaries, and evade tax obligations.
In the letter, Attorney General Brown and the coalition highlight the significant harm caused to states and residents by such unlawful platforms, particularly to young people, vulnerable adults, and state economies. Specifically, the coalition asserts that illegal gaming operations expose users to fraudulent schemes and encourage problem gambling without any oversight or accountability; undercut state-regulated markets; and have been linked to money laundering, human trafficking, and other illegal conduct.
In fact, the coalition contends that illegal online gaming is estimated to exceed more than $400 billion in volume annually, leading to more than $4 billion in lost tax revenue for states.
As such, the coalition urges the DOJ to assist and coordinate with states in deploying robust legal tools and enforcement actions against illegal offshore gaming operations, especially as such actions by the DOJ have been extremely limited since 2013.
Particularly, the coalition urges the DOJ to help curb illegal offshore gaming operations by:
- Pursuing injunctive relief under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act to block access to illegal websites and payment processing mechanisms related to illicit gaming operations
- Seizing assets – including servers, websites, domains, and proceeds – used by gaming operators that violate state and federal law
- Coordinating with states, financial institutions, and payment processors to block unlawful transactions and dismantle financial infrastructure related to illegal gaming operations
In submitting today’s letter, Attorney General Brown joins the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawai‛i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
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