Bovada now restricts users in both Pennsylvania and Kansas, adding the two states to its no-go list after each sent a cease-and-desist letter to the offshore operator.
The operator now lists both states on its list of prohibited jurisdictions.
The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission (KRGC) sent a cease-and-desist notice to Bovada back on July 8, the commission’s enforcement attorney James Bain told SBC Americas. The KRGC received a delivery receipt from the US Postal Service on Aug. 20.
The Office of Enforcement Counsel of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) sent Bovada a cease-and-desist letter at the end of August, the board’s Director of Communications Doug Harbach told SBC Americas in an email. Because the letter came from the board’s investigative unit, PGCB declined to comment further.
PA, KS follow Louisiana and others
That has been the repeated pattern seen in all states that have chased Bovada, owned by Curaçao-based Harp Media B.V., out of their market.
Before adding Pennsylvania and Kansas to its no-go list, Bovada’s most recently restricted state was Louisiana.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) sent its own cease-and-desist letter to Bovada dated Aug. 6. In the letter, shown to SBC Americas, LGCB Chairman Chris Hebert asserted that Bovada was taking wagers from customers in the state, “in violation of Louisiana gaming laws and regulations.”
At an Aug. 15 board meeting, Hebert praised other states’ efforts to shut down Bovada.
“Recently, our regulatory colleagues in states such as Michigan and Connecticut have sent similar letters, which have caused Bovada to restrict access to its site to residents of those respective states,” he told members. “It is my sincere hope … that soon the federal government will use its resources to crack down on companies that don’t have in place the regulatory, legal, and financial safeguards necessary to operate within the U.S. betting market.”
The offshore operator now restricts access in the following 13 states, as well as Washington, D.C.:
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
