A coalition of 50 lawyers recently co-signed a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, urging it to crack down on illegal offshore gambling operators, emphasizing that this issue poses a significant threat to national tax revenue and public safety.
The public letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi pointed out that illegal offshore gambling platforms operate without U.S. legal permission, evade regulation, fail to fulfill player protection obligations, and do not pay taxes due to the states. The lawyers' coalition warned that these operators might be linked to money laundering, fraud, and other criminal activities, putting American players at risk.
In the letter, the coalition disclosed that the annual transaction amount of illegal gambling could be as high as 400 billion dollars, resulting in a tax loss of about 4 billion dollars to the U.S., creating a significant fiscal loophole. In light of this, they called on the Department of Justice to take strong enforcement actions under the Illegal Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, including blocking illegal websites and freezing the online assets of operators.
This initiative was jointly launched by Attorney General William Tong, Andrea Joy Campbell, Mike Hilgers, and Derek Brown, with participating members including lawyers and legal professionals from over 20 states.
As early as May 2023, members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission had written to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, calling for enhanced regulation of illegal offshore gambling to protect American citizens from harm. This call by the lawyers' coalition echoes the DOJ's earlier stance on strengthening enforcement, pushing for more proactive measures in combating illegal gambling.
