Florida hits Bovada, MyBookie and BetUS with shutdown orders

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The Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) announced on Monday that it has sent letters to three overseas gaming operators ordering them to stop offering their platforms in the state.

The FGCC has sent cease-and-desist letters to the parent companies of BetUS, Bovada and MyBookie.ag, writing that those platforms offer some combination of sports wagering, skill games and online casino-style games which it says is in direct violation of state law and a felony offense.

Additionally, the statement accused the operators of “allow[ing] Florida residents to participate in illegal lotteries, such as deposit-matching promotions, giveaways of cash or prizes, and sign-up bonuses.”

“When it comes to slot machine gaming, counting the eight legal, state-licensed slot machine businesses, and the six tribal gaming locations
currently operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, there are only 14 legal slot machine businesses in Florida,” said the commission’s Executive Director Ross Marshman in a statement.

“The only online sportsbook operating lawfully in Florida is the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Hard Rock Bet. Anyone in Florida betting on the Big Game needs to know this. Bettor beware.”

Crackdown continues inside and outside Florida

The FGCC has a history of looking to force out operators that it considers to be offering online gaming without approval in the state.

This time last year, it ordered PrizePicksUnderdog Fantasy and Betr to shut down their pick’em style fantasy contests in the Sunshine State.

It has now joined wave of states taking action against Bovada. The Curaçao-based operator has gone offline in at least 16 states, in many cases after receiving similar C&Ds from regulators.

In December, Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) Executive Director Jay McDaniel confirmed that he sent letters to Bovada, MyBookie and BetUs along with BetWhale and BetOnline in July 2024. BetUS was also reportedly one of several targets of Maryland’s gaming regulator in recent months, and Michigan continued its anti-offshore drive by targeting MyBookie this month.

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