The Tennessee sports betting regulator issued $250,000 in fines to five offshore sportsbooks, the TN Sports Wagering Council announced Tuesday.
The targets, each hit with $50,000 in fines, include well-known BetOnline, which was sent a cease-and-desist letter by the regulator in May. The other four books fined for illegally offering sports betting in Tennessee:
- BetAnySports
- Bookmaker
- Everygame
- JazzSports
“The SWC is exploring all avenues with its network of law enforcement to eliminate these bad actors from Tennessee,” Executive Director Mary Beth Thomas said. “Consumers in Tennessee need to be aware that illegal operators will gladly take their money and personal information, and if a consumer does business with an illegal book, they give away their information to criminals.”
Bovada already left TN sports betting
Bovada was the first target of the Sports Wagering Council last October, fining the book $50,000. It then opted to leave the market a month later.
The regulator at the time said it was working with law enforcement at the state and federal level to kick illegal operators out of the state.
Since Bovada’s exit, the SWC has targeted four other offshore operators with $50,000 in fines for each:
- BetUS
- BUSR
- MyBookie
- Xbet
The state’s sports betting law allows the SWC to fine operators $10,000 for its first infraction, $15,000 for the second and $25,000 for the third. It can then issue a $25,000 fine for every bet taken after that.
SWC alerts business partners, too
The regulator also made it clear that any Tennessee business that works with illegal offshore books could face “civil or criminal penalties.”
The release points anyone with questions to the SWC’s list of legal operators.
Easy to spot illegal TN sports betting operators
The SWC tells bettors to look for four specific factors to know whether a sportsbook is legally operating in Tennessee or not:
- The sportsbook extends credit
- Betting with crypto is allowed
- Online casino games, which are illegal in Tennessee, are offered
- Bets that are based on chance are offered, like betting on a coin toss
