US call on Department of Justice to address offshore operators

A group of seven gaming regulators in the United States have called on the Department of Justice to take up the fight against illegal offshore operators. The urge for action against unauthorised operators is contained in a letter to the Attorney General, Merrick Garland on April 28 this year.

The regulators drew attention to the negative impact illegal operators can have on the gaming industry. They pointed out that such operators often fail to invest in responsible gaming programs, neglect age verification procedures to protect minors, lack anti-money laundering measures, provide no assurance of fair payouts to customers, and can result in the loss of funds for crucial state tax revenue initiatives.

Regulators from Nevada, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi and New Jersey wrote that they cannot address the breach by the illicit offshore operators by themselves. They therefore urge the DoJ to take leadership in enforcing actions towards addressing the issues.

Announcing the development, the Executive Director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board, Henry Williams said regulatory bodies such as the MGCB enforce technical standards and testing to ensure that operators offer compliant products. They also impose reporting requirements on the operators. But that “Offshore operators flaunt state regulations and offer products that do not protect the public, which greatly concerns me and my fellow state regulators.”

Williams said the state regulators were ready to work with the DoJ to see that the illegal offshore operators are stopped from operating in the country. He said, “We are willing to help the US Department of Justice in any way we can as it pursues enforcement of US laws against offshore illegal gaming enterprises that take advantage of our citizens.”
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