Michigan’s gambling regulator has issued cease-and-desist letters to 33 offshore operators it says were offering unlicensed online casino-style games, sweepstakes-style games or sports betting to state residents.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board said offshore sites have no obligation to honour the state’s Internet Gaming and Sports Betting Responsible Gaming Database, meaning a self-excluded person can still create an account, make a deposit and bet on those platforms.
Licensed operators must honour the database, which allows people to exclude themselves from online gambling. Michigan law also requires licensed internet-gaming operators and platform providers to offer temporary and permanent self-exclusion, deposit and wagering limits, and maximum playing-time controls.
“Choosing to self-exclude is one of the hardest and most courageous decisions a person can make,” Henry Williams said. “In Michigan’s legal market, that choice is respected. Offshore sites don’t respect it.” He added that an offshore site would take a deposit from someone who had asked for help and that the board could not help that person recover it.
The targets are 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, Ronin Slots, Runewager, Slot Paradise, Sloto Tribe, Sloto’Cash Online Casino, Spin Dinero, SpinsTopia, Stardust, SunnySpins Casino and The Online Casino. Regal Casino and Sportsbook also operates as Wager Street.
The board said unlicensed sites also lack the responsible-gambling tools required in the regulated market, independent testing confirming game fairness, and protections for personal and financial information under Michigan’s standards. Companies require a state licence to offer internet gaming or sports wagering under the Lawful Internet Gaming Act, the Lawful Sports Betting Act and related laws.
Operators that disregard the directives may face further enforcement coordinated with the Michigan Department of Attorney General. Residents can check the regulator’s list of authorised online gaming and sports-betting platforms, and can report suspected illegal websites by email at [email protected] or by calling 1-888-314-2682.
The letters extend a wider enforcement campaign. In April, the board said it had issued cease-and-desist orders to 45 offshore operators over a four-month period; Regal Casino and Sportsbook and The Online Casino appeared on both the April and October lists.
The board cited an August 2025 American Gaming Association analysis estimating that Americans wagered about $673.6 billion annually with illegal and unregulated gambling operators. The analysis found that the share of online-casino players using only legal sites had fallen to 24%, from 52% in 2022, while illegal bookies and offshore sportsbooks took an estimated $84 billion in bets during the study year.
