State gambling regulator continues to promote consumer protection with further crackdown on illegal gambling operators
The Arizona Department of Gaming has issued cease-and-desist orders to five more unlicensed operators for allegedly engaging in underage gambling and illegal gambling activity.
The latest cease-and-desist orders have been issued to: BetOpenly, Bookmaker, Club WPT Online Poker, Kutt Inc., and Raffle Creator.
The five operators are said to have violated Arizona gaming laws including the promotion of gambling, illegal control of an enterprise, and money laundering.
“Arizona is taking decisive action against illegal gambling operators that put Arizonans at risk,” said Arizona Department of Gaming director Jackie Johnson. “Our top priority is protecting Arizonans and I’m grateful for the efforts of our intelligence unit led by chief law enforcement officer Doug Jensen to do just that.
“Through these cease-and-desist orders we are putting operators on notice: their conduct runs contrary to Arizona law and they must stop promoting illegal gambling.”
The cease-and-desist orders direct operators to immediately stop all gambling operations and activities in Arizona, and are further directed to desist from any future illegal gambling operations in the state.
Future actions may include the filing of criminal charges or a civil action against entities, principals, and employees. Operators may also be subject to a potential award of restitution to those who lost money, as well as an action for forfeiture of all monies acquired due to the illegal conduct.
Arizona’s regulated sports betting market generated total wagers of $737.2 million in April, a decline of 1 per cent year-on-year. The split of monthly betting was $734.4 million from mobile betting and $2.8 million from retail operations.
The state is looking to grow the regulated market beyond the 14 sportsbooks that are currently licensed in the state, with a new license application window for event wagering licenses closing last Friday.