Gaming association sets sights on fighting illegal gambling

Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, speaks during a news conference at Aristocrat Technologies in Las Vegas on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015.

The gaming industry is trying to crack down on illegal gambling via a new project from its Washington, D.C.-based trade group.

At a summit of state attorneys general in Biloxi, Miss., today, American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman announced an initiative to work with law enforcement to combat illegal gambling.

He revealed the initiative, called “Stop Illegal Gambling — Play it Safe,” in a speech that sought to explain why the states’ top law enforcement officers should make illegal gambling a priority.

“The illegal gambling industry is fueling criminal networks and large criminal enterprises that profoundly harm your state, your schools, your consumers and your law enforcement,” Freeman said, according to his prepared remarks.

Freeman touched on five areas through which the initiative will target illegal gambling operations.

He said it will produce new research that will “dig into the roots of this problem,” including by studying criminal patterns, to develop “actionable intelligence.”

The initiative will also create an online “central repository” with resources and information about illegal gambling, establish an advisory board of experts, lobby lawmakers and partner with law enforcement.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, who’s also the president of the National Association of Attorneys General, said in a statement that he appreciates the gaming association’s “proactive partnership with law enforcement.” He said he’s looking into creating a committee that would focus on illegal gambling.

Moving forward, the association says, its new initiative will focus on four “key areas:” illegal sports betting, black market machines, Internet sweepstakes cafes and illegal betting online.

Freeman hopes the initiative will help maintain a sharp distinction between legal and illegal gambling, a goal which he said the attorneys general should share.

“Consider the fact that every dollar diverted by illegal operations is a dollar siphoned away from legal activities that contribute taxes to support education and public safety,” he said in his prepared remarks.

It’s all part of a broader effort from the association to boost the public perception of gambling as a well-regulated industry that contributes positively to the nation’s economy.

Last year, for example, the association established its “Get to Know Gaming” campaign to promote the benefits of the casino industry. It’s touted a study that found gaming generates $38 billion in tax revenues and supports more than 1.7 million jobs nationwide.

More recently, the association launched a political initiative called “Gaming Votes” to make gaming issues an important part of the presidential election.

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