Three more US states have been added to the list of jurisdictions where the lightly-regulated offshore gambling site Bovada will no longer accept play. Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Louisiana have joined 10 other states and the District of Columbia as American jurisdictions where Bovada has ceased operations rather than face accelerated legal action.
Acting separately, legal officials in all three states sent Bovada's listed owner, Curaçao-based Harp Media B.V., formal cease-and-desist notices and threats of prosecution. At least six US states have been added to Bovada's blocklist over the past year or so as US states are increasing legal efforts to recover and protect existing and future gambling-based revenue streams.
Though predominantly a sports-and-events-betting site, Bovada also offers online casino and poker. Pennsylvania was the most recent state to be added to Bovada's list of prohibited jurisdictions, with players there notified on Tuesday, and it is the only one of the three most-recently added states that already offers state-regulated online gaming. (In May, another regulated iGaming state, Michigan, also succeeded in forcing Bovada to pull its services.)
Demand includes return of existing balances
Louisiana and Kansas have no authorized online gaming but went after Bovada on the grounds of the site's offerings being strictly illegal rather than just unregulated. In Louisiana's case, according to SBC Americas, the state's gaming regulators also demanded that Bovada return all remaining balances on the site to the state's gamblers.
Though Bovada did not respond formally to at least some of the states' C&D notices, it has adhered to the demands. Bovada's online FAQ section now includes an updated list of US states where the 14 no-play US jurisdictions are specified:
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Colombia
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
The FAQ page also states, 'Should you reside in a restricted state and still retain an account balance, please contact Customer Service for more information or to arrange a cryptocurrency withdrawal.'
