The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADoG) announced Friday that it had sent out seven cease-and-desist letters, including one each to sports betting platforms Novig and ReBet.
Novig offers peer-to-peer exchange wagering, which is not accepted in Arizona. ReBet allows bettors to purchase existing bet slips.
According to the ADoG letter, the agency targeted “unlicensed and unregulated gambling operators, both within the U.S. and abroad” that are “reportedly offering access to illegal online gambling platforms, including slot-style casino games, ‘sweepstakes’ models, sports betting, horse-race wagering, and peer-to-peer betting exchanges.”
Because they are unlicensed and unregulated, none of the companies receiving letters pay taxes in Arizona or adhere to the state’s sports betting or gambling regulations, the regulator added. Legal sportsbooks must partner with professional sports venues or tribal casinos for retail or digital offerings, while Indian Country has a monopoly on retail casino gaming.
Regulators across the nation have taken to sending cease-and-desist letters to unregulated operators this year as a way to protect consumers and funnel gamblers to legal sites. The most prolific day was June 17, when gambling regulators in Louisiana and Mississippi sent more than 50 combined letters to offshore operators offering sports betting and/or online casino.
BettorEdge, High 5, Kalshi also targeted
The other companies receiving letters were sweepstakes operator Stake.us, raffle platforms Dallas Safari Club and Fanthem, social sports betting marketplace BettorEdge, and social casino High 5. Some of the platforms clearly claim that they are “legal” in multiple states across the U.S.
The operators were instructed to “immediately” cease operations in the state. The agency did not indicate what the penalty would be for noncompliance or if there is a deadline before enforcement penalties would be levied.
This round of letters follows a May ADoG letter to prediction market platform Kalshi, as well as letters to six unregulated operators in April, including Generiz Sportsbook and peer-to-peer exchange ProphetX.
“Illegal gambling, regardless of the platform or format, has no place in Arizona,” Jackie Johnson, ADoG director, said via press release. “Whether it’s online casino-style games, sweepstakes models, or unauthorized sports betting, any operation that falls outside Arizona’s legal and regulatory framework will face enforcement action. Illegal gambling doesn’t just break the law; it robs our state’s economy and puts consumers at risk.”
