Michigan Orders 33 Offshore Casinos to Stop Taking Its Residents’ Money

The Michigan Gaming Control Board has sent cease-and-desist letters to 33 offshore operators it says were illegally offering online casino games, sweepstakes-style games and sports betting to people in Michigan. The board announced the letters on Thursday, October 8, and used the release to make a point about self-exclusion. Someone who has banned themselves from the state’s legal sites can still sign up and deposit at an unlicensed one.

MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said: “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.” He went on: “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.”

The 33 Names on the List

The board named every recipient. The letters went 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 and Magicianbet.

The rest are mBit Casino, Odds Maker, Raging Bull Slots, Regal Casino and Sportsbook, Ronin Slots, Runewager, Slot Paradise, Sloto Tribe, Sloto’Cash Online Casino, Spin Dinero, SpinsTopia, Stardust, SunnySpins Casino and The Online Casino. The board says Regal is also known as Wager Street.

MGCB investigations found each one was offering casino-style games, sweepstakes-style games or sports betting to Michigan residents without a state license.

Two Names Were Warned Before

It follows an earlier round. On April 7 the board said it had issued cease-and-desist orders to 45 offshore operators over the previous four months, a list that included BetOnline.ag, SportsBetting.ag and Americas Card Room. Together the two announcements cover 78 names.

Two of them are on both lists. Regal Casino and Sportsbook and The Online Casino were named in April and named again in October.

Self-Exclusion Stops at the State Line

Licensed operators in Michigan are required to honor the Responsible Gaming Database, the state’s list of people who have chosen to self-exclude from online gambling. People can put themselves on it for one year or five years. The board’s 2025 annual report counts 1,644 individuals added for internet gaming and 1,550 for internet sports betting as of December 31, 2025.

Offshore operators have no such obligation, the board says. A person who has stepped away can still open an account, deposit money and place bets on an unlicensed site, “often without realizing the site operates outside Michigan law.”

That is not the only gap the board lists. Offshore players get none of the deposit limits Michigan requires, there is no independent testing to check the games are fair, and there is no recourse through the MGCB if winnings are withheld or an account is closed.

A Felony on the Books

The letters rest on the Lawful Internet Gaming Act and the Lawful Sports Betting Act, which require an MGCB license to offer internet gaming or sports wagering in the state. Under the internet gaming act, offering internet gaming in Michigan without being a licensed operator is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, or both.

The board says operators that ignore a letter may face more enforcement action in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

A $303 Million Month to Protect

The legal market those sites compete with is big. In August, Michigan’s licensed online casino operators reported $303.0 million in iGaming gross receipts and paid the state $61.2 million in iGaming taxes and fees. Adjusted gross receipts from iGaming were up 17.6% from a year earlier.

The board’s August report counts 15 authorized commercial and tribal operators, and all 15 offer iGaming. BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars are among the platforms on the board’s authorized list, which players can check before they deposit anywhere.

The board also cited national research from the American Gaming Association. Its August 2025 analysis estimated that Americans wager $673.6 billion a year with illegal and unregulated operators, and that the illegal market has grown 22% since its 2022 report. The share of online casino players who use only legal sites fell from 52% to 24%, and 49% now play on both.

Coinbase Stepped Back a Day Earlier

The letters came a day after a different kind of enforcement. On October 7 the board said Coinbase Financial Markets had agreed to stop offering new sports-related event contracts to Michigan customers by October 10. That followed a nearly identical agreement with Robinhood and a state-court preliminary injunction against Kalshi.

What Last Year’s Letters Achieved

Residents who come across an illegal gambling site can report it to [email protected] or the board’s anonymous tip line at 1-888-314-2682. The board’s own advice for anyone with a gambling problem is to call 1-800-GAMBLER, which is free, confidential and open 24/7. Michigan residents can also claim a free license for Gamban’s blocking software through the MGCB.

The board’s record shows what a letter can and can’t do. In 2025 it sent cease-and-desist letters to 193 unlicensed websites. It has confirmed that 105 of them are no longer accessible to Michigan residents.