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Massachusetts Sends Cease-And-Desist Order To Bovada Online Casino

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office sent a letter to Bovada because of “offering unlicensed online gambling and betting products.”

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J.R. Duren Avatar
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Another state has issued a cease-and-desist order to offshore online casino and sportsbook operator Bovada. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office sent the letter to the company because it is “offering unlicensed online gambling and betting products” in the state.

It should only be a matter of time before Massachusetts lands on Bovada’s list of restricted states. Bovada’s banned list now includes 13 states and Washington D.C.

Key takeaways

  • The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office sent Bovada a cease-and-desist letter.
  • Multiple states have sent cease-and-desist letters to Bovada this year.
  • Soon after sending letters, the states usually land on Bovada’s restricted list.

Massachusetts AG’s office calls Bovada ‘a substantial danger’

Bovada is known as an “offshore operator,” which means its operations are based outside of the US but its gaming platform is available in the country. Because of the way US gaming laws are set up at the state level, Bovada and other offshore online casinos aren’t held to the same regulations that licensed operators are.

As a result, gamblers are put at risk since Bovada lacks the oversight and regulation that legal operators do. The Massachusetts AGO said as much in its letter, which succinctly summed up the threat that Bovada posed:

“Since 2011, Bovada has presented itself as a legitimate American gambling operator, but without any proper Massachusetts license.

Unlicensed operators pose a substantial danger to consumers because they do not go through the same rigorous review as licensed operators, have limited or no protections against gambling addiction and underage play, and do not provide consumers with reliable access to their funds since most unlicensed operators are offshore,” said the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

Bovada’s list of banned states is growing

There are 13 states on Bovada’s restricted list. Massachusetts could become the fourth state since the summer (West Virginia, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania are the other three) to join the list.

Here’s the full list of restricted states (plus Washington DC):

  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Kansas
  • Louisiana
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Washington D.C.
  • West Virginia

The benefit of operators closing down operations in gaming states is two-fold. First, it gives users one less unlicensed site where they could lose their deposit and winnings at the operator’s whim.

Second, states that miss out on tax revenue from offshore sites recoup some of that missing money.

Gamblers that typically head to Bovada for gaming may opt for legal in-state operators, a shift that particularly benefits online casinos in five states on the list: Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

While the state offers online and retail sports betting, Massachusetts online casino gambling is not available.

J.R. Duren Avatar
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J.R. Duren has covered the gambling beats for more than a dozen states for Catena Media since 2015. His past reporting experience includes two years at the Villages Daily Sun, and he is a first-place winner at the Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism Contest.

View all posts by J.R. Duren

J.R. Duren has covered the gambling beats for more than a dozen states for Catena Media since 2015. His past reporting experience includes two years at the Villages Daily Sun, and he is a first-place winner at the Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism Contest.

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