MGCB Issues Cease-and-Desist Letters to 33 Offshore Operators Illegally Serving Michigan Residents
The MGCB issued cease-and-desist letters to 33 offshore operators offering unlicensed casino, sweepstakes, and sports betting to Michigan residents. It flags that self-excluded players remain unprotected on these sites. AGA data shows $673.6bn in annual illegal wagers, up 22% since 2022, with sharp rises in crossover play.
SCCG Take — This enforcement highlights enforceable limits against offshore operators and the responsible-gaming gap they exploit. Regulators and licensed providers must sustain pressure to defend market integrity and player safeguards.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board has issued cease-and-desist letters to 33 offshore gambling operators. These operators were found to be offering online casino games, sweepstakes-style games, and sports betting to Michigan residents without a state license.
MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams stressed the vulnerability of players in the state’s self-exclusion program. Licensed operators must honor the Internet Gaming and Sports Betting Responsible Gaming Database. Offshore operators face no such requirement.
“Choosing to self-exclude is one of the hardest and most courageous decisions a person can make, and in Michigan’s legal market, that choice is respected,” Williams said. “Offshore sites don’t respect it. They will take a deposit from someone who has asked for help, and the MGCB has no way to help that person get it back. These 33 letters put operators on notice that our residents are not an untapped market, and that anyone who thinks they can ignore our protections will hear from us.”
The letters were sent to the operators of Azartzona Casino, Basepoker, BingoMania, BitofGold, Cryptoplay, Del Oro Casino, Detective Slots, Donbet, Exclusive Casino, Genie Jackpot, Guangzhou Snail Interactive Technology Co., Ltd., Immersion Casino Online, iWild Casino, JacksPay, Jurassic Slots, L0tt0, Lucky Charm Sweep, Lucky Rebel, Magicianbet, mBit Casino, Odds Maker, Raging Bull Slots, Regal Casino and Sportsbook (also known as Wager Street), Ronin Slots, Runewager, Slot Paradise, Sloto Tribe, Sloto’Cash Online Casino, Spin Dinero, SpinsTopia, Stardust, SunnySpins Casino, and The Online Casino. MGCB investigations determined each was offering casino-style games, sweepstakes-style games, or sports betting to Michigan residents without a state license.
Risks for Self-Excluded Players on Unlicensed Sites
A person who has chosen to step away from gambling can still open an account, deposit money, and place bets on an unlicensed site, often without realising the site operates outside Michigan law. The MGCB has no mechanism to recover those funds or enforce its protections offshore.
Scale of Illegal Gambling per American Gaming Association Data
National research suggests offshore gambling is widespread. According to an August 2025 analysis by the American Gaming Association, Americans wager $673.6bn each year with illegal and unregulated gambling operators, including offshore sites. The illegal market has grown 22 per cent since the AGA’s previous report in 2022.
The share of online casino players who use only legal sites dropped from 52 per cent in 2022 to 24 per cent. Nearly half now play on both legal and illegal sites. Americans placed an estimated $84bn in bets with illegal bookies and offshore sportsbooks. One in ten sports bettors wager exclusively through illegal sources. Earlier AGA research found 70 per cent of sports bettors who placed most wagers with illegal operators believed they were betting only with legal sportsbooks or splitting bets evenly.
As reported by G3 Newswire, the letters and accompanying warnings mark a direct response to these trends and the consumer protections they undermine.
Reporting: G3 Newswire
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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