Tennessee Fines Bovada Three Times (with Possibly More to Come)

Plenty of states that are home to legal sports betting and offer access to our best sports betting sites have successfully stopped Bovada from offering its unregulated services. 

Tennessee, somehow, is not one of those states - despite trying.

The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWC) regulates the Tennessee sports betting market, which has previously sent cease-and-desist letters to the sportsbook operator. Those letters clearly have not been heeded. 

The fines 

Investigators from the SWC have been able to place bets on three separate occasions at bovada.lv, which has led to the maximum allowable fine under the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act. 

The first offense came with a $10,000 fine, the second a $15,000 fine, and the third fine (and each one thereafter) is a $25,000. That means so far Bovada has faced $50,000 in fines levied against it.

The illegal operator has been compliant with cease-and-desist letters at numerous locations nationwide, so this stands out as an unusual situation. There's been no indication why it hasn't ceased operations in Tennessee. 

For its part, the SWC has encouraged bettors to remove their funds from the sportsbook, as there has been no indication when it might shut down. There are plenty of Tennessee sportsbook promos for residents to take advantage of at several Tennessee sports betting apps once they do switch. 

Other cease-and-desist letters

Bovada recently closed in the Massachusetts sports betting market after obeying the cease-and-desist order sent in early October. But it's far from the only state to take action, as Bovada has been in the crosshairs of state regulatory bodies nationwide. It holds no license and pays no taxes to needy state and local coffers, so it isn't allowed to operate. 

There are systems in place in the Nevada sports betting and New York sports betting scenes to prevent Bovada and other offshore betting operators from operating in those jurisdictions. 

In June, we noted the operator had paid attention to regulatory bodies in the Michigan sports betting and Colorado sports betting markets. Connecticut sports betting also took action in June, and by late July, the sportsbook has ceased operation there and in the DC sports betting markets.  

The Ohio sports betting market issued a cease-and-desist letter in August. The Louisiana sports betting scene followed suit, issuing its own cease-and-desist. 

It's unknown when we might add Tennessee to that list. But for now, the sportsbook is choosing to incur fines instead of shuttering its operation.