• Unlike legal operators, illegal operators also don’t pay a dime in taxes, robbing state and local governments of more than $13 billion in tax revenue each year.

    On this page, you will find the latest figures on the size and scope of the illegal market, along with details on how consumers, industry members and allies, and media can combat illegal operators. Ready to learn more? Click on the group that applies to you to get involved today.

    Consumers | AGA Members & Industry Allies | Media


    For Consumers

    Legal casino gaming and sports wagering—both online and in-person—are activities that millions of Americans enjoy each year. Illegal gambling operators, however, are also pervasive across the country, posing as legal operators to prey on consumers.

    These illegal and unregulated operators exist online in the form of slick websites based outside of the U.S. or can be found in brick-and-mortar locations like convenience stores and strip malls as devices that mimic legal slot machines.

    While legal gaming operators comply with strict regulatory and testing requirements and invest hundreds of millions of dollars annually in responsible gaming, illegal operators offer no guarantee of fair odds or payouts nor provide consumer protections or responsible gaming measures. And because illegal operators work outside of the law, players have no legal recourse when these operators disappear with their money.

    Did You Know:

    55%

    (over half)
    of sports bettors who placed most of their bets with illegal operators believed they were betting legally.

    76%

    (Three-in-Four)
    of sports bettors say that it's important to bet with a legal operator.

    25%

    drop in average spending
    with illegal sports betting bookies in states where sports betting is legal.

    As a consumer, it’s critical to be able to spot the difference between legal and illegal gambling operators and know the pitfalls of playing illegally. That’s why the American Gaming Association encourages players to Have A Game Plan and play legally and responsibly.

    Video: The Dark Side of Illegal Online Gambling in the U.S.

    For Members & Industry Allies

     

    Illegal Market Research Illegal Market Research

    Illegal Market Research

    The AGA released an independent assessment of the size of the illegal and unregulated markets.

    Review the Findings
    Regulator Playbook Regulator Playbook

    Regulator Playbook

    The AGA has developed a playbook for state gaming regulators to use their authority and enforcement power against illegal offshore websites.

    View the Playbook

    To spur action in our fight to shut down illegal actors, we’ve created a new communications toolkit to ensure our industry speaks with one voice, delivering consistent messaging about the harm illegal gambling creates and why it must be stopped.

    We’ve designed these resources to help the industry consistently communicate and support your engagements on this important topic.

    Our Stop Illegal Gambling Toolkit includes:

    • Key Messages: Use these to guide all written communications and talking points with key stakeholders.
    • Fact Sheets: Share these in your meetings with elected leaders and regulators and send them to local law enforcement partners, reporters and others.
    • Social Media Content: Deploy these graphics and use our sample posts on your owned communications channels.
    • Research: Share the report in your meetings with regulators, policymakers, law enforcement and other key stakeholders.

    Download the Toolkit

    Use these key messages to guide all written communications and talking points with key stakeholders.

    Download the Toolkit

    Share these in your meetings with elected leaders and regulators and send them to local law enforcement, reporters and others.

    Download the Toolkit

    Deploy these graphics and use our sample posts on your owned communications channels.

    Download the Toolkit

    Share the report in your meetings with regulators, policymakers, law enforcement and other key stakeholders.

    Download the Toolkit

    For Media

    When credible news outlets cite odds or publish advertising from illegal gambling websites, they misguide consumers by lending legitimacy to illegitimate operators. The Department of Justice has also warned that media outlets that accept advertising dollars from illegal operators could be liable for aiding and abetting criminal activity. Avoid promoting illegal gambling websites by only citing and partnering with legal U.S. sportsbooks.

    Legal, Regulated Sportsbooks in the U.S.

    Atlantis Race and Sports App
    B-Connected Sports
    Bally Bet
    Bet365
    BetFred
    betJACK
    Betly
    BetMGM
    BetMonarch
    betPARX
    Betr
    BetRivers
    Betsafe
    BetSaracen
    Betway
    Borgata Online
    Caesars Sportsbook
    Circa Sports
    ClutchBet
    Crab Sports
    Desert Diamond
    DraftKings
    DRF Sportsbook
    ESPN BET
    Fanatics Sportsbook
    FanDuel
    FireKeepers
    Four Winds
    GambetDC
    Golden Nugget Sportsbook
    Hard Rock Bet
    MVGBet
    Novig
    OaklawnSports
    PlayEagle
    PointsBet
    Prime
    Prophet Exchange
    Q Sportsbook
    Resorts WorldBET
    SaharaBets
    Sky Ute Sportsbook
    Smarkets (SBK)
    South Point/Rampart Sports App
    Sports Illustrated Sportsbook/888
    SportsBook RI
    STN Sports
    Superbook
    Tennessee Action 24/7
    TI Sports
    Tipico
    TwinSpires
    Underdog Sportsbook
    Unibet
    Wagr
    WynnBet
    ZenSports

    For press inquiries, contact the AGA communications team.