[co-author: Stephanie Kozol]*
Indiana Attorney General (AG) Todd Rokita recently partnered with the Indiana Gaming Commission to alert consumers about advertisements for illegal gambling.[1]
In Indiana, sports wagering is the only online gambling that is currently authorized and regulated by the Indiana Gaming Commission. The Indiana legislature legalized online sports betting in 2019. Several other Midwestern states legalized online sports betting that same year.
Still, Indiana consumers continue to receive social media ads for non-sports wagering. The advertisements and related website are allegedly for “licensed Indiana casino companies,” even using the branding of various Indiana casinos.[2]
However, no “licensed Indiana casino compan[y]” is permitted to facilitate online gambling for anything other than sports, and there is no indication that the advertisements are authorized by the casinos. In other words, according to the Indiana AG, the advertisements dupe consumers into believing that they are for a “licensed casino” and that the related websites and gambling activities are inherently lawful.[3] However, neither the social media ads nor the associated gambling advertisements are lawful in Indiana.
Additionally, Indiana law requires that gambling websites contain certain consumer protections. “These protections include ensuring that patrons have access to their funds, that minors cannot participate, and that responsible gaming measures are in place.”[4] The AG asserts that the website at issue lacks those required protections.
Both the Indiana AG and the Indiana Gaming commission are seeking legal actions against the entities responsible for the deceptive advertisements.
[1] https://events.in.gov/event/illegal-gambling-website-rolls-the-dice-trying-to-mislead-hoosiers-into-thinking-its-affiliated-with-indianas-licensed-casinos.
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
*Senior Government Relations Manager
