Bovada Adds Arizona to Its Restricted List

ADG Orders Bovada to Cease Operations

The ADG’s action was prompted by Bovada, operated by Harp Media B.V. from Curaçao, offering online gambling services to Arizona residents through two websites. These activities were deemed violations of Arizona’s gambling regulations, including charges related to promoting gambling, illegal enterprise control, and money laundering.

The ADG launched an investigation into Bovada’s operations and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Harp Media B.V. on November 8, 2024. Following this, Bovada added Arizona to its list of restricted states.

Harp Media B.V. was instructed to immediately cease all online gambling operations in Arizona and to take necessary steps to block Arizona residents from accessing its websites.

“We are actively monitoring the evolving landscape of online gaming and taking proactive steps like this helps us protect Arizona’s communities and economy from illegal activities,” said Jackie Johnson, Director of the ADG. “Our enforcement team is committed to preventing unauthorized operations from establishing a foothold here. Arizona will not be a safe haven for unlicensed or unlawful gaming, nor will we allow unlawful entities to compromise the integrity of gaming within our state.”

Bovada Withdraws from Another State

Arizona joins 16 other U.S. states and the District of Columbia on Bovada’s restricted list. Many states were added after Harp Media received similar cease-and-desist orders.

Michigan was among the first states to act in May, followed by Colorado, West Virginia, Connecticut, Ohio, and Louisiana. Bovada has been cooperative, consistently adding jurisdictions to its restricted list upon receiving official requests, including Washington, D.C.