ATLANTIC CITY — The gambling industry says nearly a third of all bets made in the U.S. each year are done illegally.
The American Gaming Association, the national trade association for the gambling industry, released figures Wednesday estimating that more than $673 billion worth of bets are placed with illegal, unregulated sources.
Growth in the legal market in recent years has kept the illegal market’s share of total U.S. gambling revenue largely steady, with illegal operators capturing smaller shares of sports betting and internet gambling revenue.
But the report found illegal operators still account for nearly one-third (31.9%) of total U.S. gambling.
And while the percentage of people who bet strictly with illegal bookies or offshore sites is decreasing, it still accounts for 1 in