Louisiana has become the latest state to issue a cease-and-desist order to oust offshore operator Bovada.
On August 6, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) sent a letter demanding that the Curacao-based provider, owned by Harp Media, cease operations in the state.
At its August 15 meeting, LGCB Chairman Chris Hebert expressed appreciation for the states’ efforts to shut down Bovada.
“Bovada is allowing Louisiana residents and/or persons located in the state of Louisiana to place wagers via mobile application and internet websites with online casino services which include sportsbook, iGaming, table games slots, live dealer, poker, horse racing, and hundreds of other gambling options in violation of Louisiana gaming laws and regulations,” Hebert wrote in the letter.
“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 Louisiana will join the list of restricted states based on our letter, but also 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.”
Hebert also stressed that Bovada, “must continue to allow all Louisiana customers to withdraw any funds currently held by Bovada. Failure to comply may result in additional civil and/or criminal actions.”
A spokesperson for the LGCB said that as of August 30, the board had not received confirmation that Bovada had received the letter.
Bovada’s list of blocked states continues to grow.
This process follows a pattern that has played out in several other jurisdictions: a regulator sends a cease-and-desist letter, but no response is received, the deadline expires, and then Bovada silently updates its list of jurisdictions to indicate that it has blocked users in that state.
As of August 30, Bovada’s website lists users in the following states as being blocked:
– Nevada
– New Jersey
– New York
– Maryland
– Delaware
– Michigan
– Colorado
– West Virginia
– Connecticut
– Washington, D.C.
– Ohio
Louisiana is not yet on the list.
Ohio has most recently taken drastic action, with Bovada ceasing to accept bets in the state last week. Michigan and Colorado started the process with cease and desist orders back in May.
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