EXCLUSIVE: Dozen Senators Urge Bondi To Drop Hammer On ‘Illegal’ Industry Targeting America’s Youth

A bipartisan group of senators led by Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt is calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to crack down on illegal overseas gambling.

Twelve members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday urging the department to restrict access to illegal offshore gaming operations in the United States. The senators argue that illegal overseas gambling poses a unique threat to America’s youth, who have highly addictive and poorly monitored sports betting platforms, according to a copy of the letter obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation. (RELATED: Multiple NBA figures, including Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, arrested in Mafia-linked gambling investigation)

A DOJ spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter, but declined to comment further.

“These illegal overseas gambling operations expose young people to numerous harms, including allowing them to gamble without age verification, on credit, and providing no resources for gambling addictions,” the senators wrote.Young people, including minors, play more and more, and illegal offshore gaming operations feed on it for profit.

Britt and the 11 senators asked the DOJ to provide an analysis of past and current enforcement actions it has taken against illegal offshore gaming operators. They also asked Bondi to comment on whether there are any legislative solutions Congress should adopt to support the DOJ’s enforcement efforts.

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The letter comes after 50 state and territory attorneys general ordered Bondi to step up efforts to combat illegal overseas gambling and sports betting in August.

Attorneys general have called on the DOJ to work with payment processors to block illegal transactions made on gambling platforms. The cohort also urged the Justice Department to use its authority under the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act to seize the assets and domain names of illegal offshore gaming operators.

Americans have gambled more than $60 billion with illegal operators and offshore sites, creating a $700 million loss in tax revenue for states, according to a 2022 report from the American Gaming Association.

Britt raised concerns about illegal offshore gaming targeting young men at a Judiciary Committee hearing in early October when Bondi testified before the panel. Bondi pledged to look into the matter further.

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