The US casino lobby claims locally licensed bookmakers are winning the battle for the hearts and minds of US sports bettors, although internationally licensed sportsbooks are winning their share of betting dollars.

A new survey of 3,451 US adults released Tuesday by the American Gaming Association (AGA) claims that US sports bettors boosted their spending with locally-licensed online sports betting operators by 12% in 2019, while spending with ‘illegal bookies’ fell by one-quarter in states that have legalized wagering.

The AGA didn’t define the parameters of what counts as an ‘illegal bookie’ but it’s apparently limited to guys named Lefty who hang out at the back of the bar and are willing take your action on credit. Because the AGA also said that internationally licensed online sportsbooks saw spending rise 3% in those same legal betting states last year (and +24% in states that have yet to legalize).

The AGA’s data appears to show that bettors are largely civic-minded but a bit slow on the uptake. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents stressed the importance of only betting via legal bookmakers yet more than half (52%) of those who wagered in 2019 did so with operators not carrying the local seal of approval.