Bovada banned in two more states; Massachusetts considers taking action

Article by : Charles Perrin Jul 31, 2024

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Bovada’s departure from the US has accelerated after being forced to shut down its operations in two more states.

The restricted states for the offshore gambling giant to be used in has been extended to Connecticut and Washington D.C. with the crackdown in full swing.

Confirmation of this was posted yesterday in the FAQs section of Bovada.

A cease-and-desist letter was sent by Connecticut to Harp Media B.V., the Curacao-based parent company of the brand, several weeks ago. They were informed at the time they were in breach of Connecticut General Statutes and the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUPTA) by operating in the state.

Although D.C. hasn’t formally sent a similar request, the launch of a fully-fledged multi-operator iGaming market that includes Ceasars and DraftKings following a brief FanDuel monopoly, will likely see Bovada fizzle out.

News of Bovada winding up business in Connecticut and D.C. came after we reported earlier this month that West Virginia sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bovada asking them to close down its operations.

Indeed, the directives issued are a reminder to foreign operators that they can’t carry out business in local jurisdictions without a license.

Each letter allows Bovada 14 days of receipt to comply with the matter before further legal action is taken and a ban is implemented.

This now takes the no-go list states where Bovada is forbidden from operating in to 10:

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

Michigan was the first state to get the ball rolling on this, as they issued a cease-and-desist letter in May.

Now, Massachusetts is ready to pursue regulatory action against Bovada, and the matter was discussed at a Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting last month.

During the meeting, MGA Commissioner Nakisha Skinner raised the issue.

She said: “I wonder just with the discussion around the cease and desist letter that Michigan has spearheaded and, Connecticut, I learned this morning, has signed on, I wonder if it is worthwhile to have a discussion among the commissioners as to whether there are any steps we might want to take as a commission along those lines.”

Offshore gambling has become rife in the US over the past few years, but the action that has been taken recently underlines a desire to get a grip on the matter.