Nevada targets offshore betting with tougher penalties in new bill

[The Buzz]

Unregulated offshore betting cost licensed gaming operators over $17 billion in lost revenue nationwide last year, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA). Now, Nevada is taking steps to crack down on the issue.

Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D-Las Vegas) has introduced SB256, a bill aimed at strengthening penalties against illegal gambling operators. The proposed legislation would allow Nevada courts to impose harsher fines beyond the current $50,000 maximum for violating the state’s online gaming laws. It also seeks to elevate certain offenses from misdemeanors to gross misdemeanors and require the forfeiture of any profits gained through illegal gambling activity.

Nguyen said the bill was inspired by discussions at National Council of Legislators from Gaming States conferences and conversations with Nevada gaming leaders, including the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM). Notably, AGEM’s Executive Director, Daron Dorsey, was one of her law school classmates.

From The Independent:

Dorsey said it was unclear as to how much Nevada was losing to unregulated gaming sites, but he said it was “in the millions to tens of million of dollars.”

Nguyen said she was interested in what the group was working on.

“They wanted someone to go after some of these illegal operators,” Nguyen said in an interview. “It’s a black market and it's unregulated. The bill is pretty straightforward.”

The legislation was presented in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week and received support from AGEM, the Nevada Resort Association, the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling and the Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Dorsey told the committee that illegal online gambling is growing and not getting smaller.

“Disgorgement of profits from the illegal activity is yet another avenue that will help punish illegal operators who come to Nevada,” he said. “We also hope the enactment of SB256 will discourage illegal operators from targeting Nevada residents in the first place.”

Read more here: https://thenevadaindependent.com/art...er-nevada-bill