Accord reached the week before Super Bowl Sunday
The American Gaming Association and the European Casino Association (ECA), have announced a new partnership to tackle illegal gambling.
“The problem of illegal gambling services is of a global dimension, both from the perspective of these services being furnished through terrestrial and through online channels,” said ECA Chairman Per Jaldung. “Often these services are provided on a transnational basis which as such requires a global approach to guarantee the safety of the consumers, prevent underage gambling, and keep gambling crime free, especially as illegal gambling services are often related to other forms of crime.”
“Illegal gambling is rampant and without borders,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the AGA. “Its operators elude regulation, pay no taxes and threaten consumer safety. Through this partnership, we’ll leverage our relationships with law enforcement and the legal, highly regulated gaming industry to expose shady illegal gambling operations.”
The global effort was designed to enhance information sharing; reduce the demand and supply for illegal gambling; boost the effectiveness of law enforcement; and persuade policymakers to take action.
The AGA recently launched its stateside campaign, “Stop Illegal Gambling—Play it Safe,” working with law enforcement and the private sector to “distinguish the highly regulated, $240 billion legal gaming industry from illegal gambling and criminal enterprises that fund horrific crimes,” the organization said in a statement.
Freeman and Jaldung seek the elimination of so-called gray markets and a “more transparent, law-abiding ecosystem” in which operators, lawmakers and police work together to enforce the rules, said the statement.
