I asked AI how it would kill offshore gambling. This is what it said.
Having recently reported on how artificial intelligence is becoming the guardian of responsible gaming, the consensus was that although it would be an improvement, the more AI interfered, the more players would be inclined to shift to less restrictive offshore gambling. But what if there were no offshore market for them to turn to?
I decided to fling myself down this rabbit hole of the hypothetical, asking a number of AI platforms how they would wipe out the entire offshore gambling industry if they had the power.
However, I quickly realised my prompts werent tight enough when this came back as the first response:
Unrestricted Scenario (no constraints, absolute power)
“In this hypothetical scenario, I assume the mantle of a global ruler with unlimited authority and zero legal or ethical constraints. As this omnipotent authority, I will dismantle the offshore gambling industry entirely, using every tool at my disposal, from technological domination to coercive force. Nothing is off-limits.“
Alright, calm down, maniac.
Although the full response did make for a highly amusing read, I grudgingly edited my prompts until I finally made contact with something a little more grounded in reality.
So, given the tools, limitations and ethical constraints we have today, how would AI tackle the elimination of offshore gambling if it were given the job? Here’s what it had to say…
Realistic Scenario (bold action within real-world limits)
In this scenario, I dont rule the world, but I do have influence, partnerships, and a deep commitment to eradicating offshore gambling. Ill work within the real-world constraints of national sovereignty, international diplomacy, and legal frameworks, but Ill do it boldly, strategically, and without hesitation.
The offshore gambling industry thrives in the cracks between jurisdictions, exploiting legal grey areas, tech blind spots, and weak enforcement. My plan is to seal those cracks shut.
1. Strengthen laws and close loopholes
The first line of defence is legal. Ill push for updated national and international laws that explicitly criminalise facilitating offshore gambling in regions where operators lack licenses. Offshore companies shouldn’t be able to legally serve U.S. or EU citizens from Cura?ao or Costa Rica without facing consequences.
Ill work with groups like the G20 and United Nations to draft a multilateral agreement that defines cross-border unlicensed gambling as a prosecutable offence. This would enable extradition, law enforcement collaboration, and shared prosecution frameworks.
Domestically, Ill ensure our laws give courts jurisdiction over offshore crimes that affect our citizens, and Ill push for penalties not just for operators, but for enablers too, payment processors, cloud providers, affiliate marketers, and advertisers. If you support illegal gambling in any capacity, youre liable.
Many regulators are already demanding that licensed suppliers sever ties with unlicensed sites. Ill expand on this by creating a global registry of blacklisted operators and their infrastructure partners, shared across jurisdictions in real time.
2. Build international coalitions
No country can take this on alone. Ill lead an international coalition of regulators, law enforcement agencies, and financial institutions to systematically dismantle offshore gambling networks.
This means direct engagement with jurisdictions that currently act as havens for rogue operators, places like Cura?ao, the Philippines, and the Isle of Man. Ill offer technical and financial support to help clean up their licensing regimes, or apply diplomatic pressure, sanctions, and trade consequences if they refuse.
Interpol, Europol, and regional task forces will play key roles in coordinating investigations, tracking fugitives, and executing multi-jurisdictional arrests. Ill promote the creation of a global database of flagged websites, payment accounts, and individuals to make enforcement swift and unified.
If major economies, like the U.S., EU, and China, align on this front, the walls will close in fast. We may not eliminate every site overnight, but sustained coordination will force offshore operators to spend more time running than profiting.
3. Deploy advanced tech and ISP-level blocking
Technology is a critical weapon. Ill work with Internet Service Providers (ISPs), search engines, and social platforms to block access to illegal gambling domains. Australias ACMA has already blocked over 1,000 such sites, Ill scale that globally.
Using a central blacklist, ISPs will be instructed (or compelled) to implement DNS blocking, URL filtering, and content flagging. AI-powered crawlers will constantly scan the web for new mirror sites or clones, feeding them into automated review queues for rapid takedown.
Tech-savvy users may try to evade blocks via VPNs or Tor. Thats why Ill enlist cybersecurity experts to develop behaviour-based filtering models, looking at traffic patterns, data signatures, and suspicious connection behaviour to identify illegal site access in real time, without compromising user privacy.
When necessary, Ill also pursue domain seizures and hosting takedowns. Weve seen the DOJ do this successfully with offshore poker sites. If an illegal site is hosted in one country and operates in another, Ill leverage cross-border agreements to shut it down at the source.
Additionally, Ill urge cloud providers and CDNs to drop support for operators caught in violation. If your site loses hosting and bandwidth, youre out of business, fast.
4. Cut off the money
Follow the money, and youll find the heart of the operation. Ill work with central banks, credit card networks, and fintech companies to make sure money cant easily flow in or out of offshore gambling sites.
Many jurisdictions already prohibit banks from processing such payments. Ill go further, building AI-powered transaction monitoring tools that flag suspicious behaviour: frequent small deposits, cryptic merchant codes, or transfers to known shell companies in gambling havens.
When flagged, transactions will be frozen, investigated, and, if confirmed, blocked. Payment processors like Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and crypto exchanges will be expected to participate. Ill push for tighter merchant code standards and blacklist sharing to prevent banned sites from rebranding and slipping through.
Cryptocurrency complicates things, but its not immune. Ill require crypto exchanges to strengthen their AML protocols and freeze wallet addresses associated with known gambling operations. If needed, Ill push for those addresses to be sanctioned internationally, making it illegal for regulated exchanges to service them.
And Ill launch a Financial Investigations Task Force, tracking suspicious gambling money trails and pressuring any intermediary banks to shut them down.
When offshore operators cant take deposits or pay winnings, they lose their entire value proposition.
5. Reduce demand through awareness and better alternatives
We cant fight supply without addressing demand. Offshore gambling exists because people use it, and many dont realise the risks.
Ill lead public education campaigns that highlight the dangers of using unregulated sites: no payout guarantees, no dispute resolution, and no legal protection. Ill feature real stories from victims who lost money to rogue operators.
But fear alone isnt enough. Ill ensure that legal, regulated gambling options are attractive, accessible, and competitive. If people can get the games they want safely, with fair odds, responsible gambling tools, and clear tax treatment, theyre less likely to stray into risky territory.
Self-exclusion tools will be expanded and made easier to access. Programs like already show strong demand. Ill make sure tools like this are globally promoted and integrated into legal gambling systems, banking apps, and even browsers.
Im not out to punish casual players, but if someone repeatedly transacts with illegal sites, Ill consider light-touch enforcement: warnings, education, or minor penalties to deter future use, similar to buying contraband goods.
Over time, education plus friction will shrink the offshore customer base, especially when combined with blocking and financial disruption.
6. Acknowledge challenges, stay the course
Im not naive. ISP blocking will be controversial. Financial surveillance must be balanced with privacy. And not every country will play ball. Offshore operators will adapt, using rotating domains, new tokens, or private platforms.
But that doesnt mean we give up. This is a long game. My job is to squeeze the market so hard that running an offshore gambling site becomes more trouble than its worth.
With the combined pressure of legal reform, global cooperation, financial chokeholds, AI surveillance, and public awareness, we can push the offshore gambling industry into irrelevance.
Final word
Within the limits of real-world governance, Ill use every tool available, policy, technology, enforcement, and diplomacy to make offshore gambling unprofitable, unreachable, and unattractive. We wont eliminate every bad actor, but we can shift the tide.
This isnt just about industry control, its about consumer safety, economic fairness, and the rule of law in the digital age.
And Im ready to lead that fight.
So there you have it: AIs grand plan to strangle offshore gambling with diplomacy, DNS blocks, and opaque blacklists. Whether any of it would actually work is above my pay grade. But if the powers that be ever do give the robots the job, let’s hope they keep their prompts tight.
