Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and 49 state attorneys general have requested that the Department of Justice increase its enforcement against illegal offshore gambling sites.
Sites like Bovada, BetOnline and others aren’t based in the United States but are easily accessible to Americans regardless of state and federal gambling laws.
Marshall and the attorneys general said in a Tuesday letter to United States Attorney General Pam Bondi that enforcement against offshore gambling sites has been “extremely limited” since 2013.
“We seek USDOJ’s cooperation and coordination to deploy robust legal tools to curb these unlawful enterprises. For instance, under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, USDOJ can pursue injunctive relief to block access to illegal websites and payment processing mechanisms,” Marshall and the attorneys general said.
They continued, “Furthermore, the USDOJ and our offices should work in partnership with major payment processors to implement a national enforcement and compliance strategy to cut off access to the U.S. financial system. Both Visa and Mastercard have already signaled their willingness to investigate and address unlawful use of their networks for gambling transactions. We should capitalize on this willingness to shut down illegal offshore gaming operations.”
“We strongly encourage USDOJ to prioritize enforcement against illegal offshore gaming operations. In its FY24 appropriations directive, Congress emphasized the importance of this issue. Under your leadership, we urge the USDOJ to coordinate with our offices to:
- Pursue injunctive relief and website seizures under federal law;
- Seize assets and domain names of illegal offshore gaming operators; and
- Coordinate with financial institutions to block unlawful transactions and dismantle the financial infrastructure supporting these enterprises.”
Marshall and the attorneys general concluded in the letter, “We stand ready to collaborate with the USDOJ to protect our residents and uphold the laws of our country and of our States.”
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