Illegal Gambling: Florida Attorney General Pushes for Harsher Penalties

Legislation

Illegal Gambling: Florida Attorney General Pushes for Harsher Penalties

Wednesday 26 de November 2025 / 12:00

⏱ 1 min read

(Tallahassee, Florida).- James Uthmeier urges lawmakers to make illegal gambling a felony, citing links to organized crime and other serious offenses.

Illegal Gambling: Florida Attorney General Pushes for Harsher Penalties

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is urging state lawmakers to support legislation that would increase penalties for illegal gambling from a misdemeanor to a felony. He argues that current punishments send the wrong message and fail to deter organized crime.

“Right now, people can make millions from unlawful gambling operations and face nothing more than a slap on the wrist,” Uthmeier said in a video posted on X. “This is not enough of a deterrent to stop this illegal behavior.”

Uthmeier emphasized that illegal gambling not only breaks state law and endangers consumers but also fuels other serious crimes, including money laundering, racketeering, and human and drug trafficking.

“Here in Florida, we take unlawful gambling seriously. It violates our state’s rule of law, puts consumers at risk, and often leads to other illicit acts like human trafficking, drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering,” he said.

He noted that Florida law enforcement has dismantled several multimillion-dollar operations over the past year. “We’ve taken down numerous large-scale gambling operations worth tens of millions of dollars. Harsher penalties will give law enforcement the tools to hold these wrongdoers accountable,” Uthmeier added.

Uthmeier also praised Sen. Jennifer Bradley and Rep. Dana Trabulsy for their work on legislation that would elevate illegal gambling charges to a felony.

Categoría:Legislation

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País: United States

Región: North America