Florida sports betting regulators took aim this week at illegal offshore sportsbooks.
The Florida Gaming Control Commission sent three cease-and-desist letters to offshore sportsbooks on Monday. The letters demand that the illegal sportsbooks stop offering Florida sports betting and online casino products.
The companies:
- Milvus — dba BetUS.com
- Harp Media BV — dba Bovada
- Gaming Services Provider NV — dba MyBookie
Florida sports betting protections
An FGCC release said the illegal operators offer no protections or benefits for Floridians. Over the next five years, the state will receive no less than $2.5 billion from the Seminole Tribe of Florida from gambling. Hard Rock Bet is the only legal online sportsbook in Florida.
The commission sent the C&D letters ahead of the Super Bowl, one of the biggest sports betting days of the year.
“Gaming, both land-based and online, is strictly regulated in Florida,” FGCC Executive Director Ross Marshman said in the release. “The only online sportsbook operating in Florida is the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Hard Rock Bet. Anyone in Florida betting on the Big Game needs to know this.”
Florida violations
The FGCC release notes that the offering of illegal gambling is a felony offense under Florida law. In 2022, MyBookie even listed a Florida address on its website.
The release also noted that the violations go beyond sports betting and horse racing. Regulators also pointed to casino-style gaming and illegal lotteries.
“The conduct, promotion or advertisement of such an illegal lottery is strictly prohibited under Florida law and is a felony offense,” the letters read.
Shutting down illegal markets
Bovada now restricts access to bettors in 17 US markets, most of which it has added to its exclusion list since Michigan sent a cease-and-desist in May 2024.
Last month, Michigan sent a C&D letter to MyBookie. The Mitten State has been one of the more active markets in pursuing offshore sportsbooks. In February 2024, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allocated money in the state budget to fight illegal gambling.
Michigan Gaming Control Board Executive Director Henry Williams led a group of regulators in 2023 asking for federal support in combating illegal sportsbooks and casinos.