Attorney General Tong Leads Bipartisan Effort Urging U.S. Department of Justice to Help Address Illegal Offshore Gaming

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08/05/2025

Attorney General Tong Leads Bipartisan Effort Urging U.S. Department of Justice to Help Address Illegal Offshore Gaming

Leads 50 Attorneys General in Submitting Letter to U.S. Attorney General Bondi Calling for Increased DOJ Enforcement Actions Against Harmful Illegal Online Sports Betting and Gaming Operations

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today led a bipartisan multistate coalition of 50 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to assist in curbing the 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.

The request to the DOJ was made in a letter sent by Attorney General Tong and the coalition to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“Lax federal enforcement has enabled illegal offshore gaming and sports betting to proliferate. Operated by foreign companies without regulation and consumer protections, these sites enable problem gambling, money laundering, tax evasion, and other illegal conduct. I join with attorneys general across the country in urging the Department of Justice to use the strong tools at has at its disposal to protect consumers and public safety,” said Attorney General Tong.

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 Tong 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 gaming 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 gaming 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 gaming 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 gaming 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 gaming operations.
• Seizing assets – including servers, websites, domains, and proceeds – used by gaming 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 gaming operations.
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The letter may be viewed in its entirety here.

The letter was led by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Utah.

Also joining in submitting today’s letter are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, 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, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

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Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

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