, spend billions of dollars on licensing, marketing and lobbying for the legalization of sports betting in new states.
Some gamblers used offshore bookies for years before the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018 and cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting. Howe said unregulated sites frequently ignore the responsible gambling safeguards U.S. operators have in place to maintain their licenses. She said 25% of FanDuel's customers who switch from illegal operators do so because they weren't paid their winnings.
In states that have legalized sports betting, online searches for offshore betting sites have declined, according to the gaming association. But the offshore site Bovada still accounts for half of sports betting related searches nationwide, the AGA told CNBC.