The American Gaming Association (AGA)
has invited newly-confirmed Attorney General Loretta Lynch to join state attorneys general and other top law enforcement officials in partnership with the gaming industry through its initiative to crack down on illegal gambling operations.
The US Senate confirmed the nomination of Loretta Lynch on Thursday to become US attorney general by a 56-43 vote.
“The legal, highly regulated, $240 billion casino gaming industry invites Attorney General Lynch to join us in exposing illegal gambling through our new initiative that is bringing together law enforcement officials to strengthen communities in every state,” said AGA President and CEO Geoff Freeman.
“AG Lynch has demonstrated a strong track record on this issue and a keen understanding of the serious problem illegal gambling has become across the country, and we hope to work with her to combat shady operators who don’t protect consumers, don’t create jobs and don’t contribute a dime in taxes in support of their communities,” Freeman added.
During the confirmation, Lynch said that she would welcome the opportunity to work with Congress to address the issue of illegal gambling.
She has emphasized her efforts to crack down on illegal gambling in New York when she was US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where her office brought prosecutions for such activities. Lynch pointed to a 2011 case that her office led, which she described as “the largest ever nationally coordinated organized crime takedown against organized crime in the United States.”
“Twelve indictments were unsealed in Brooklyn against eighty-five individual defendants, including charges against members of all five New York-based La Cosa Nostra families. Those charges included charges for illegal gambling, including illegal sports betting and operation of illegal card games and illegal gambling devices,” said Lynch.
The “Stop Illegal Gambling – Play it Safe” initiative was launched by AGA last week during the National Association of Attorneys General Presidential Initiative Summit, which calls for the backing of law enforcement officials to help stop illegal online gambling.
The initiative focuses on four key areas of illegal gambling: illegal sports betting; black market machines; Internet sweepstakes cafes; and illegal online betting.
