FBI Warns Against Using Offshore Gambling Platforms
The article reports that the FBI issued a public service announcement warning Americans about the risks of using offshore sportsbooks and other illegal online gambling operators. The bureau says offshore betting can threaten the integrity of sports betting and can help fund organized crime, while also putting individual gamblers at risk of violence, extortion, and fraud from illegal operators.
It cites FBI language noting that even though sports betting is now legal in some form in 39 states plus Washington DC, illegal sportsbooks and online gaming sites remain widespread and can harm the public and the US economy. The story highlights American Gaming Association estimates that Americans wager about 673.6 billion dollars a year with unregulated operators, and that use of unregulated online gambling sites rose 22 percent since the AGA’s prior report in 2022.
The piece adds that the FBI’s Crime and Corruption in Sport and Gaming Program targets organized crime influence and sports integrity threats. It notes the FBI has led investigations tied to gambling related corruption, including cases involving alleged efforts to rig statistics and suspicious betting activity.
Finally, it says a coalition of 50 state attorneys general asked the US Department of Justice for more aggressive federal action against illegal offshore operators, citing limited consumer protections, heightened risks to minors and vulnerable groups, and the enforcement challenges posed by operators based outside the United States.
