Michigan tells 33 offshore gambling sites to stop

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has sent cease-and-desist letters to 33 offshore gambling operators. It announced the letters on 8 October 2026. According to the regulator, its investigations found that each operator was offering casino-style games, sweepstakes-style games or sports betting to Michigan residents without a state licence.

The release also makes a point it says often gets overlooked: self-exclusion in Michigan only works on licensed sites.

Who received the letters

The MGCB named all 33 recipients. They include mBit Casino, Cryptoplay, Donbet, Raging Bull Slots, Sloto'Cash Online Casino, SunnySpins Casino, and Regal Casino and Sportsbook, which the board says is also known as Wager Street. One recipient on the list is named by its registered company name rather than a brand: Guangzhou Snail Interactive Technology Co., Ltd. The full list is in the MGCB release linked under Sources.

According to iGaming Times, two names, The Online Casino and Regal Casino and Sportsbook, were also on the list the MGCB published in April.

What a cease-and-desist letter does

A cease-and-desist letter is a formal demand to stop. It is not a fine and not a court order. Under the Lawful Internet Gaming Act and the Lawful Sports Betting Act, a company needs an MGCB licence to offer online gaming or sports betting in Michigan. The board says operators that ignore its letters may face further enforcement together with the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

This is not the first round. In April 2026 the MGCB said it had sent cease-and-desist letters to 45 offshore operators over four months.

Self-exclusion stops at licensed sites

Michigan runs a voluntary self-exclusion list for online play, the Internet Gaming and Sports Betting Responsible Gaming Database. Licensed Michigan operators must honour it. Offshore operators have no such obligation. The MGCB says 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 realizing the site operates outside Michigan law."

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. 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."

What players give up on unlicensed sites

The MGCB lists what is missing on offshore sites:

• no access to Michigan self-exclusion, deposit limits or other responsible gaming tools required of licensed operators;
• no independent testing to make sure games are fair;
• no protection of personal and financial data under Michigan's regulatory standards;
• no help from the MGCB if winnings are withheld or an account is closed.

The last point is the practical one. If an unlicensed site keeps a balance, the MGCB has no way to help get it back.

To put the problem in scale, the MGCB cites an August 2025 analysis by the American Gaming Association (AGA). The AGA estimates that Americans wager $673.6 billion a year with illegal and unregulated operators, including offshore sites.

How to check a site in Michigan

The MGCB publishes a list of authorised online gaming and sports betting platforms. If a site is not on it, it is not licensed in Michigan. Residents can report an illegal gambling site to MIGamblingTip@michigan.gov or the MGCB's anonymous tip line, 1-888-314-2682. Information on Michigan's self-exclusion programmes is on the MGCB responsible gaming page.

For another US state ordering unlicensed operators to stop, see Missouri's cease-and-desist letters to six prediction markets.

18+. If gambling has stopped feeling like a pastime, see responsible play. In the US, help is available 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER.