AGA Letter to Justice Department Could Backfire: So Many Complaints Over Ads

This past week the American Gaming Association (AGA), a mostly white male organization, submitted a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland complaining about Blacks from the Caribbean and Latin Americans sportsbook operators attempting to ruin the party for "legalized US sports betting" businesses, may have screwed things up just a bit.  These businesses employ hundreds in locations that are friendly to the US such as Costa Rica, Panama and Antigua.  The later has a long standing trade complaint against the US Goverment.

The #MeToo movement may not have made it to the AGA.  Has anyone every questioned how many women are members of the American Gaming Association?  Hint:  You can't count them on one hand. Blacks?  Uh errr.uh.... Hispanics in Nevada?  No comprende.

Over the past year, there has been a ridiculous number of complaints over the "in-your-face" advertisements for said sports betting, not just in states where it is legal, but also in states like Florida where it is not.

Case in point, when an NFL game airs in, say Miami, you are inundated with ads for DraftKings.  You can't bet with them but you can still sign up with their Daily Fantasy Sports websites.

The real problem though may be where these sites are already legal.

Friends of Gambling911.com who are not gamblers have noted how the ads are so out of control, kids are learning to bet once they are able to walk.  The first billboard you see coming out of the Lincoln Tunnel is for Bet365 (at least as of a few months ago).

Considering the fact that we've received complaints about this via our Facebook page, it's not a stretch to believe that Attorney General Garland hasn't already received countless numbers of similar complaints, and is almost certain to react once he is in receipt of the AGA letter.  It's probably under a pile of junk for the moment.  Currently the US Justice Department has bigger fish to fry such as a war in the Ukraine that could result in the inhalation of mankind and a certain event that occurred on January 6, 2020, which may ultimately result in the demise of US democracy as we know it.  But leave it to the AGA to believe their gripe is priority.

Poker News Daily had a great analysis of this referred to the "Convoluted History for AGA Regarding Online Gaming": 

The AGA has had a convoluted history when dealing with online gaming. Originally the company was vehemently against online casino gaming and especially against online poker as it became prevalent in the U. S. In the early Aughts, the AGA fought against any federal legislation that would legalize and regulate the online gaming industry when it would have been most useful.

In 2006, the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) forced out of the U. S. market several of the top performing online gaming companies in the world, including 888 Holdings and PartyPoker. It opened the door, however, for new players to come on the scene, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and UltimateBet.

After the passage of the UIGEA, the AGA’s stance regarding online gaming became convoluted. The organization voiced support for online gaming regulation in the U. S., but then moved to a “neutral” stance (not advocating either way) after one of its members, powerful casino gaming mogul Sheldon Adelson, threatened to pull out of the organization. Adelson, long an anti-online casino gaming proponent, got what he wanted as the AGA’s voice was removed from the conversation.

In 2011, “Black Friday” struck, taking down PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and CEREUS Network (the combined power of Absolute Poker and the now-called UB.com) in the U. S. PokerStars was able to continue its international operations because it segmented their players’ monies from the business funds of the company. Full Tilt and CEREUS were not so fortunate; the shutdown of U. S. action doomed both companies to failure.

Since that sad day, the AGA has been quiet regarding the issue of online gaming as it has grown throughout the U. S. With many states now passing sports betting regulations, laws for online poker and casinos, and even regulating DFS operators, the AGA now appears to be trying to protect the “legal” operations and get the Feds to take further steps against offshore operations. It is unlikely that the DoJ will take any actions regarding (Bill) Miller’s letter, however.

The AGA urged the Justice Department to go after offshore gambling operators the provide sports betting, specifically the owner of MyBookie.ag.  The activity was deemed legal by the US Supreme Court in 2018.  They also want the DOJ to "educate" people about the differences between "good" sportsbooks and the so-called "bad" one's".  Sounds like Russia indoctrination to us.  Hint, the "bad one's" aren't allowed to have apps.

They claimed offshore operators are "not transparent" yet gambling friends of Gambling911 claim that websites in certain states may be offering different live odds to customers placing bets at the same time based on profiling, and this could come back to bite them if said customers should file a class action suit down the road.

Bottom line, it's a bonehead move by the AGA that could only harm legal US sportsbooks down the road.  Bill Miller, the association’s president, should be condemned.

Don't think for a second that Attorney General Garland hasn't noticed the number of advertisements for sports betting companies in Virginia and Washington, DC and is probably going to say "WTF" when he reads this absurd letter.

Miller focused on MyBookie.ag, which is run by a long-time friend of the Gambling911.com website.

MyBookie search results on search engines are even more competitive than those of DraftKings and FanDuel, but can they actually compete with the in-state apps?

Here in Illinois we had the opportunity to sit down with a sales representative for a major travel company who knew nothing of MyBookie, Bovada or any other offshore company the AGA complained about.

"I joined Bar Stool sports because they offered a great free bet on a favorite I knew would win and it did,' he offered Gambling911.com.  "They also offered a cool hoodie."

That hoodie was yet to show up a couple weeks later.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com