U.S. attorneys general urge the DOJ to quell the "rampant spread” of illegal gambling

In their letter to the Department of Justice this week, a group of 50 U.S. attorneys general urged the DOJ to quell the "rampant spread” of illegal gambling by replicating online poker’s Black Friday of 2011.

AGs’ cry for help to DOJ shows need for support in black market battle

States and stakeholders begging the U.S. federal government to take a firmer stance against unauthorized gambling is nothing new. But, given the industry shifts we’ve seen in recent times, and the strength of both the numbers and the evocations used this time around, the latest incident makes one sit up and take notice.

In their letter to the Department of Justice this week, a group of 50 U.S. attorneys general urged the DOJ to quell the "rampant spread” of illegal gambling by replicating online poker’s Black Friday of 2011.

Calling for measures such as the pursuit of injunctive relief under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and the seizure of website domains and other assets, the chief legal officers of 46 states are essentially egging on the federal government to smash doors and take names.

Their rhetoric sounds powerful, and 50 AGs coming together to urge such action is certainly meaningful. But the very fact that states are sending cries for help to federal AG Pam Bondi illustrates the truth that, in a patchwork of state gaming oversight, there’s little that can be done.

Louder voices, same message

The nature of the 2025 call may be unprecedented, but the message is not.

American Gaming Association (AGA) President and CEO Bill Miller has made it an annual habit to call on the DOJ and federal authorities to take a firmer hand. In spring 2022, for instance, he wrote to then-U.S. AG Merrick Garland, stressing that illegal sportsbooks and casinos’ "brazen and coordinated” operations required "significant federal attention,” and argued that the DOJ is the only law enforcement entity that has the status and resources to tackle the problem.

Months later, more than two dozen members of Congress sent their own letter calling on the DOJ to investigate and prosecute illegal offshore sportsbooks, led by Gaming Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Dina Titus and Guy Reschenthaler.

https://sbcamericas.com/2025/08/08/state-ags-letter-doj-illegal-gambling/