Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWC) has issued $100,000 in fines to two unlicensed offshore sportsbooks illegally operating in Tennessee.
Bettors in Tennessee who have funds with BetUs and MyBookie should withdraw those funds immediately, and bettors can always go to tn.gov/swac for a list of licensed sportsbooks.
The SWC issued fines totaling $50,000 each to BetUs and MyBookie after the sportsbooks failed to comply with cease and desist letters. In November, the illegal offshore sportsbook Bovada shut down operations in Tennessee after the SWC assessed a $50,000 fine.
“In stark contrast to our legal sportsbooks, illegal operators are choosing to violate our state and federal law. They do not offer any of the same consumer protection mechanisms that the law requires of licensed entities,” Executive Director Mary Beth Thomas said. “They do not restrict minors from accessing their site, they often extend credit to vulnerable individuals, and players have no way of knowing where and with whom their personal and financial data is shared after they log in to an illegal sportsbook. We cannot help players who get into a dispute with an offshore sportsbook, other than to continue our work to shut them down.”
The Sports Gaming Act authorizes the Council to impose a $10,000 fine for the first offense of accepting wagers without a license, which rises to $15,000 for the second offense, and $25,000 for the third offense. Subsequent offenses may lead to the imposition of a $25,000 fine for each occurrence, with an occurrence being a single wager accepted in Tennessee.
Illegal sportsbooks often can be identified by the following factors, all of which are illegal in Tennessee: extending credit; allowing bets to be placed with cryptocurrency; and offering wagers on casino games, such as slots or online poker.
Tennessee is the largest “online-only” sports betting market in the U.S., with more than $4.7 billion a year wagered in Tennessee through online sportsbooks licensed by the SWC.
About the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council
The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council’s primary role is to protect the public interest of Tennessee through a safe, regulated sports gambling environment. The SWC oversees the licensing and registration process for online sports wagering operators, sports wagering vendors, and fantasy sports operators.
The state agency monitors and enforces compliance with the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act and the Tennessee Fantasy Sports Act and related rules, including the assessment of the State’s privilege tax on sportsbooks.
