• Legal casino gaming and sports wagering—both online and in-person—are activities that millions of Americans enjoy each year. Illegal gambling operators, however, are also pervasive across the country, posing as legal operators to prey on consumers.

    These illegal and unregulated operators exist online in the form of slick websites based outside of the U.S. or can be found in brick-and-mortar locations like convenience stores and strip malls as devices that mimic legal slot machines.

    While legal gaming operators comply with strict regulatory and testing requirements and invest hundreds of millions of dollars annually in responsible gaming, illegal operators offer no guarantee of fair odds or payouts nor provide consumer projections or responsible gaming measures. And because illegal operators work outside of the law, players have no legal recourse when these operators disappear with their money.

    Did You Know:

    55%

    (over half)
    of sports bettors who placed most of their bets with illegal operators believed they were betting legally.

    76%

    (Three-in-Four)
    of sports bettors say that it's important to bet with a legal operator.

    25%

    drop in average spending
    with illegal sports betting bookies in states where sports betting is legal.

    As a consumer, it’s critical to be able to spot the difference between legal and illegal gambling operators and know the pitfalls of playing illegally. That’s why the American Gaming Association encourages players to Have A Game Plan and play legally and responsibly.

    For AGA Members & Industry Allies

    To spur action in our fight to shut down illegal actors, we’ve created a new communications toolkit to ensure our industry speaks with one voice, delivering consistent messaging about the harm illegal gambling creates and why it must be stopped.

    We’ve designed these resources to help the industry consistently communicate and support your engagements on this important topic.

    Our Stop Illegal Gambling Toolkit includes:

    • Key Messages: Use these to guide all written communications and talking points with key stakeholders.
    • Fact Sheets: Share these in your meetings with elected leaders and regulators and send them to local law enforcement partners, reporters and others.
    • Social Media Content: Deploy these graphics and use our sample posts on your owned communications channels.

    Download the Toolkit

    Use these key messages to guide all written communications and talking points with key stakeholders.

    Download the Toolkit

    Share these in your meetings with elected leaders and regulators and send them to local law enforcement, reporters and others.

    Download the Toolkit

    Deploy these graphics and use our sample posts on your owned communications channels.

    Download the Toolkit