Twelve US Senators have urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take robust action against illegal offshore gaming operations targeting young people in the United States.
In a bipartisan letter sent this week, the Senators call on Attorney General Pam Bondi to ask the DOJ to act on illegal online gambling operators that are harming America’s youth.
“Illegal offshore gaming operations allow minors to engage in unregulated sports betting and gaming with no oversight, unlike legal domestic gaming operations,” wrote the Senators. “These illegal offshore gaming operations expose young people to numerous harms, including by permitting them to gamble without age verification, on credit, and offering no resources for gambling addictions.
“Young people, including minors, are increasingly gambling, and illegal offshore gaming operations prey on them for profit.”
The letter goes on to cite 50 state attorneys general who also wrote to the DOJ earlier this year requesting the Department use their authority under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act to pursue injunctive relief and block access to illegal offshore gaming operations.
“We agree with their analysis of the authority provided to DOJ under that law, and write to further encourage DOJ to partner with all state and territory attorneys general to combat the reach of illegal gambling operations within the United States,” the letter continued.
“Congress highlighted the need for DOJ to pursue cases against illegal offshore gaming operations as recently as last year. We now ask you to work to ensure that American children are adequately protected from the threats posed by illegal offshore gaming.”
In addition to requesting additional focus and cooperation on this issue, the Senators have requested an assessment of illegal offshore gaming operations that have been successfully targeted by DOJ, an assessment of ongoing efforts, how these operations target America’s youth, and what steps Congress can take to combat this growing problem.
The letter was led by Senator Katie Britt, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), and was signed by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn), Cory Booker (D-N.J), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Thom Tillis, (R-NC), and Peter Welch (D-Vt).
In a recent Senate Judiciary hearing, Senator Britt asked AG Bondi about illegal offshore gaming operations targeting minors, and received her commitment to work with the Senator to protect minors from this “growing and widespread problem.”