Arizona sports betting regulators continued their crusade against illegal operators with five new orders last week.
The Arizona Department of Gaming issued the cease-and-desist orders to unlicensed sports betting and online gambling sites:
- BetOpenly
- Bookmaker
- Club WPT Online Poker
- Kutt Inc.
- Raffle Creator
The orders direct the companies to cease all gambling operations within the state. In the future, the state may file criminal or civil actions against the companies or employees.
“Arizona is taking decisive action against illegal gambling operators that put Arizonans at risk,” ADG Director Jackie Johnson said in a release. “Our top priority is protecting Arizonans and I’m grateful for the efforts of our intelligence unit led by Chief Law Enforcement Officer Doug Jensen to do just that.
“Through these cease-and-desist orders we are putting operators on notice: their conduct runs contrary to Arizona law and they must stop promoting illegal gambling.”
Details on cease and desist letters
The ADG alleges each operator violates multiple felonies. They include promotion of illegal gambling, illegal control of an enterprise and money laundering.
It said BetOpenly violates the state’s peer-to-peer gambling structure. Additionally, the ADG said the company offers sports betting and daily fantasy sports without appropriate licenses.
The ADG alleges Bookmaker offers horse racing, casino games and sports betting without an appropriate license.
Online poker is not legal in Arizona, and the ADG alleges Club WPT Online Poker enabled individuals under 21 to play pay-to-play poker with “no purchase necessary” language.
Raffle Creator, the ADG alleges, did not meet nonprofit status to conduct lawful raffles.
The ADG also directed Kutt Inc. to stop allowing users to deposit money into accounts to wager on sports, politics, pop culture and casino-style games. The ADG said Kutt violates the state’s “social gambling,” which prohibits any third-party benefit.
Arizona regulators strict on rules
Last week’s orders are just the latest in a long line of actions from Arizona against unlicensed gambling. Earlier this year, the Arizona attorney general filed a lawsuit against Kalshi. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission in turn sued Arizona, along with several other states, to protect federal jurisdiction over prediction markets.
The ADG has also filed several waves of cease-and-desist orders against unlicensed gambling operators, including against sites like:
- BetUS
- Bovada
- MyBookie
- Novig
- Stake.us
The regulator is also proactive in public service announcements warning residents to be careful in betting around major events as well as warnings about “imitation casinos.”
