AGA Urges Offshore Operator Crackdown

US gambling lobbying group the American Gaming Association has called on the US Department of Justice to crack down on offshore unlicensed iGaming companies as the American market continues to regulate online betting.

The call was made in letter form by AGA CEO Bill Miller, where he called for the DOJ to take action on sites like Bovada, BetOnline, and MyBookie, who offer services to states where online gambling hasn't been regulated. Miller is calling for those running unlicensed sites to be indicted and prosecuted, claiming they knowingly violate state and federal laws.

Whether or not that's actually the case remains up for debate. There hasn't been a specific law that defines illegal internet gambling, although the Bush administration published the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which prohibits banks from facilitating "illegal" online gambling transactions. This will make enforcement such as what Bill Miller is calling out challenging, especially since the players in these sites are all located in foreign countries.

In the letter Miller wrote in part: "While the challenge of illegal gambling is not new, the brazen and coordinated manner in which it occurs - both online and in communities - has elevated this problem to a level that requires significant federal attention.

"We urge the Department to make it a priority to act…to protect American consumers, crack down on illegal operators, and enforce federal regulations.

"Illegal operators have been put on notice: their days as a scourge on our nation are numbered.

"These bad actors prey on vulnerable customers, offer no consumer protections, do not ensure integrity or fair play, and generate no economic benefit for states or tribal nations."