Michigan Targets 18 Offshore Gaming Sites: Cease and Desist!

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), tasked with overseeing the gambling market in the Wolverine State, appears to be continuing its crusade against offshore gaming operators. In two separate announcements, one dated May 9 and the other May 12, the MGCB indicated that it had targeted a total of 18 internet gaming websites with cease-and-desist orders.

Which Sites Are Affected?

In its May 9 press release, the MGCB named 14 organizations that it had sent letters to. They are:

• BetFlip
• BetMania
• Casino Castle
• Casino Extreme
• Casobet Casino
• EmuCasino
• Golden Lion
• Gossip Slots
• Irish Luck Casino
• Juicy Stakes.com
• Juicy Stakes.eu
• Lotus Asia Casino
• Red Lion Casino
• SlotGems Casino

Then on May 12, the Board increased the list of online gambling operators that had been targeted by four:

• You Wager
• Bet Pop Casino
• Wager 7
• Discount Wager

Taking a look at the platforms targeted, we can see that they offer a mix of casino games, sports betting, racetrack betting, peer-to-peer poker, and lottery products. We can take a look at the website of one of these organizations, Red Lion Casino, to get an idea of their product selection:

Home Page of Red Lion Casino

We can see the categories of betting products displayed across the top of the page: Casino, Live Casino, Sports, Live Racing. There's also a tab for Promotions. Toward the bottom of the screen, we encounter a few of the games available to play.

As is usually the case, the mix of companies targeted by the MGCB consists of smaller, lesser-known firms as well as larger and more prominent entities.

What Do the Letters Say

This round of letters is essentially the same as previous missives written by the MGCB to offshore gaming businesses. They accuse the companies of violating Michigan law by offering gambling services to the state's residents without a valid Michigan license. Specifically, they're said to be in violation of the Michigan Lawful Internet Gaming Act, the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act, and the Michigan Penal Code.

The targeted entities have been given 14 days to stop all their operations within the State of Michigan. Failure to comply could result in legal action both from the MGCB and the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

Why Is the MGCB Concerned About These Sites?

According to the MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams:

Illegal gambling operations prey on vulnerable consumers and undermine the integrity of the regulated gaming industry. Michigan residents deserve the protections that come with licensed, legal gaming. We will continue to take strong action against those who skirt the law.

Thus, the authorities are positioning their crackdown as a consumer protection measure. However, we can't help but notice that the MGCB didn't seem to care about offshore gaming sites until around 2024. Only after Michigan-licensed online gaming websites began to open for business did the MGCB begin its persecution of international gaming providers.

Therefore, it's likely that Michigan officials are more motivated by a desire to see their instate licensed gaming economy flourish and are concerned about what they view as unfair competition from overseas.

MGCB Sending Letters Frequently

This year, not a month has gone by without the MGCB demanding that internet gambling concerns stop accepting Michiganders as customers. January saw regulators order MyBookie.ag to cease doing business in Michigan while nine sites were targeted in February.

Then in March, five gaming operators were sent letters near the beginning of the month with another 10 added by the end of the month. April brought 39 more cease-and-desist letters, sent in several batches, including 11 on April 3 and 13 on April 9.

Michigan Becoming a Very Strict Jurisdiction

While there are some gaming jurisdictions that largely take a hands-off approach to online gaming enforcement, like Nevada and Delaware, there are others that are more active. For example, the ACMA in Australia frequently blocks the websites of services that it deems illegal while the DGE in New Jersey is known for liaising with counterparts around the world to put the hurt on those corporations that it believes are violating the law.

Michigan is making a name for itself as having one of the stricter enforcement regimens. Not only does it threaten legal action against what it deems illegal gaming providers, but it also does so with a frequency and tenacity that are nearly unmatched.

Online Gaming Nevertheless Widely Available in Michigan

Despite the MGCB's best efforts, offshore real money gaming is thriving in Michigan. It's one thing to tell companies to leave and quite another to make them comply. Anyway, you're not breaking the law by playing at these sites; it's only site owners and managers who are at any legal risk.

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May 19, 2025 – by Max Golden, Editor-in-Chief