Tennessee has joined the long list of states to order Bovada to shut down and has fined the offshore operator while it ignores that call.
The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council said in a release that it has sent multiple cease-and-desist letters to the addresses in Curaçao, where Bovada’s owner Harp Media is based. The state regulator has not heard back.
The council has also fined the unlicensed operator $50,000 after council investigators found they were able to place bets through Bovada’s platform on three separate occasions, including as recently as Oct. 16. Tennessee’s Sports Gaming Act authorizes the council to lay down a $10,000 fine for the first offense of accepting wagers without a license, $15,000 for the second offense and $25,000 for the third offense. Subsequent offenses may lead to a $25,000 fine per occurrence.
In the cease and desist letters, the council ordered Bovada to allow all Tennessee users to withdraw any funds currently held by the unlicensed sportsbook. In the absence of a response to any of its correspondence, the council urged users to take action of their own volition.
“The Sports Wagering Council recommends that Tennessee users of Bovada withdraw their funds immediately,” wrote Executive Director Mary Beth Thomas. “Our primary role is the protection of the public interest through a safe, regulated environment, and Tennessee sports bettors need to know that just because they can access a sports betting website or app inside Tennessee’s borders does not mean it is licensed to do business here.”
To date, Bovada has exited states but has not responded to the senders of cease and desist letters. The council said it is working closely with Tennessee and federal law enforcement “to eradicate illegal sportsbooks such as Bovada and others.”
Tennessee is the largest online-only sports betting market in the U.S. and does not have any commercial or tribal casinos or offer any in-person wagering.
States make example out of Bovada
To the council’s point, Bovada is far from the only offshore operator taking bets in the U.S. without a license, but it has quickly become perhaps the most high-profile of them all.
In 2024, a stream of states have made an example out of Bovada, publicly denouncing the online sportsbook and casino’s presence without approval. Since May, the likes of Michigan, Connecticut, Louisiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania and most recently Massachusetts have all successful pushed Bovada out, their cease-and-desist letters resulting in the operator’s silent withdrawal.
With Bovada still apparently online in Tennessee for now, the operator’s list of restricted states currently stands at 14, plus Washington, D.C. The restricted U.S. markets are as follows:
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia
