Michigan gambling regulators are expanding their enforcement efforts against offshore gaming, sending cease-and-desist letters to 33 operators accused of providing online gambling to residents without the required state licenses. The action covers companies offering online casino games, sweepstakes-style products and sports betting.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board announced the latest enforcement action on Oct. 8. Its investigations determined the targeted operators were offering at least one form of unauthorized gambling to Michigan residents. The group includes Azartzona Casino, Basepoker, BingoMania, BitofGold, Cryptoplay, Exclusive Casino, Genie Jackpot, Lucky Charm Sweep, mBit Casino and Regal Casino and Sportsbook, which is also known as Wager Street.
The latest round is not an isolated enforcement action. In April, the MGCB sent cease-and-desist letters to 45 illegal offshore gambling operators. That earlier action similarly focused on companies the regulator said were accepting Michigan players without authorization.
Michigan is one of the U.S. states with regulated online casino gaming and sports betting, meaning companies must receive state authorization before offering those products. The latest enforcement action illustrates the distinction regulators are trying to maintain between Michigan’s licensed market and gambling websites that remain accessible online but are not authorized by the state.
The MGCB placed particular emphasis on responsible gambling protections in announcing the 33 letters. Licensed Michigan operators must honor the Internet Gaming and Sports Betting Responsible Gaming Database, which allows individuals to voluntarily exclude themselves from online gambling. Offshore operators have no obligation to follow that state system.
As a result, the MGCB said someone enrolled in Michigan’s self-exclusion program could still create an account, make a deposit and gamble through an unlicensed offshore site. The regulator also noted that it lacks the same ability to assist consumers with funds deposited with operators outside its regulatory reach.
The enforcement comes amid broader concerns about the size of unregulated gambling in the U.S. The MGCB cited an August 2025 American Gaming Association analysis estimating that Americans wager $673.6 billion annually with illegal and unregulated operators. The study found that the illegal gambling market had grown 22% since the association’s previous report in 2022.
The regulator also cited research indicating that 70% of sports bettors who had placed online wagers with illegal operators did not know those sites were illegal. That creates an enforcement challenge because the availability of a gambling website does not necessarily indicate that it is licensed to accept wagers in a particular state.
Offshore casino and sportsbook operators are not Michigan’s only regulatory focus. The MGCB and the state attorney general’s office have also challenged sports prediction markets offering event contracts. Recent actions have involved Coinbase, Kalshi and Robinhood as Michigan examines whether sports event contracts fall within gambling activity regulated by the state.
Taken together, the actions show Michigan continuing to police several parts of the online gambling market rather than limiting its attention to traditional offshore sportsbooks. The 33 cease-and-desist letters add another group of operators to the state’s growing list of enforcement targets as regulators seek to restrict gambling products offered outside Michigan’s licensing framework.
