Attorney General Miyares Joins Bipartisan Effort Encouraging DOJ to Address Illegal Offshore Gambling 

Virginia Joins 49 Other States in Submitting Letter to DOJ Calling for Increased Enforcement Actions Against Harmful Illegal Online Sports Betting and Gaming Operations 

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares today joined a bipartisan 50-state coalition of 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.  

“Illegal offshore gambling is a massive, unregulated enterprise that preys on consumers and cheats taxpayers by dodging accountability and siphoning billions from our economy,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares. “Illegal gambling is a magnet for money laundering, fraud, and exploitation, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with our other state and federal partners to enforce the law and protect Virginia consumers.”

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 age of users, ignore state boundaries, and evade tax obligations.   

In the letter, Attorney General Miyares 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 gambling 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 gambling 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 gambling 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 gambling 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 gambling operations  
• Seizing assets – including servers, websites, domains, and proceeds – used by gambling 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 gambling operations    

Read the letter here.

Joining Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares in submitting today’s letter are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, 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, Utah, U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

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