Michigan Casino Regulators Send More Cessation Demands

Michigan casino regulators announced in late September that they issued cease-and-desist letters to the operators of six websites that offer online casino games. The letters represent the latest development in an active effort in Michigan to disrupt the businesses of unlicensed online casinos.

According to a Sept. 29 release from the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), the body has demanded that six more websites stop offering online casino bonuses and games to residents of the state. The associated websites are:

In the release, MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams stated that "Michigan law is clear. If you want to operate here, you must be licensed. We will continue to hold illegal operators accountable and protect Michigan residents from predatory, unregulated gambling."

As Williams' statement alludes to, this batch of cease-and-desist letters is just the latest such action by the MGCB. The agency has been busy on this front in 2025.

Through September, the MGCB has demanded that over 130 operators cease activities that the board considers illegal during 2025. The MGCB was also active on this front in 2024.

In most of these cases, that activity included real money online casinos, albeit those that lack the licensure that legal brands like BetMGM Casino and Caesars Palace Online Casino possess. However, some of these letters' recipients have concentrated their business on Michigan sports betting.

All of the recipients have lacked proper licensure to offer any type of online gaming in Michigan. Many of the recipients have complied with the demands.

Bovada, for example, capitulated to the demand in June 2024. That followed Virtual Gaming Worlds, the owner of Chumba Casino and Global Poker, announcing that it would cease offering its games to Michigan residents.

More recently, social casinos High 5 and Stake.us have also geofenced Michigan out of their addressable markets. The MGCB takes these actions to protect what has become a valuable business for legal operators in the state.

Licensed online casinos in Michigan regularly produce revenue that is on par with other US states with legal iGaming. For example, the MGCB says that licensed online casinos in the state reported over $247.2 million in adjusted gross receipts for August 2025.

That figure topped Pennsylvania's $231.2 million and fell just short of New Jersey's $248.4 million for the month. Michigan's August adjusted gross receipts converted to more than $51.6 million in tax revenue for the state and $13.2 million for the City of Detroit.

With millions of dollars at stake each month, the motivation for the MGCB to continue to issue cease-and-desist letters to unlicensed operators is clear. This batch of six letters will likely not be the last such demands in 2025.

Derek Helling