OddShark.com catches NJ ban for promoting illegal gambling sites

OddsShark.com is one of the best known sports gambling sites on the web, and it’s now banned from one of the most robust sports betting markets in the United States. Late last week, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement informed the site that its promotion of gambling sites that aren’t licensed to serve US players was a violation of Garden State gaming rules and was promptly blocked by state officials.
OddsShark’s banishment from the New Jersey market comes after years of warnings from state officials and serves as a warning to other sites that continue to promote sites that aren’t licensed to do business in the US – even if they’re legitimately licensed in other markets. Some of the sites OddsSharks was improperly promoting include some of the biggest names in online gambling, such as Bovada.lv and 5Dimes.eu.
The company was informed of the ban in a letter from New Jersey Deputy Attorney General Anthony Strangia which read, in part, The Division has accessed your website located at www.oddsshark.com and found that, alongside promotional links to authorized New Jersey online gaming and sports betting websites, your website also promotes [at least three offshore sites]which offer unauthorized internet gaming and sports betting to New Jersey residents.” The letter goes on to tell OddsShark to cease doing business in New Jersey altogether.
Unfortunately, the staff at OddsShark.com can’t plead ignorance of New Jersey gambling laws in this situation as they were warned of this potential outcome by NJ gaming regulators as early as 2015.