Michigan has become one of the most restrictive states for US sweepstakes casinos. The Michigan Gaming Control Board's 2025 cease-and-desist letters prompted most major operators to block the state, leaving Michigan residents with fewer sweepstakes options than residents of almost any other state. This article explains what happened, why, and what Michigan players can do.
What the MGCB did
In 2025, the Michigan Gaming Control Board sent cease-and-desist letters to multiple US sweepstakes casino operators. The board's position: online sweepstakes casinos meet the state's definition of illegal gambling, even if they operate under the federal sweepstakes promotional framework. Michigan has a fully-licensed real-money online casino market under MGCB regulation, and the board has taken the view that the sweepstakes model competes with that licensed market without paying the licensing and tax obligations.
The cease-and-desist letters did not formally ban sweepstakes operators from accepting MI players, the MGCB doesn't have direct authority to prohibit operators based outside Michigan. But the implicit threat (and the cost of litigation) was enough to prompt most major operators to block MI voluntarily.
Who blocks Michigan today
As of May 2026, the major operators blocking Michigan include Stake.us, Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots (which VGW has since closed), Pulsz, High 5 Casino, McLuck, Hello Millions, and most of the broader mid-tier. The pattern is near-universal among brands with significant US market share.
A small number of less-prominent operators still accept Michigan players. We don't recommend them, operating in defiance of state regulator guidance creates ongoing legal risk for both operator and player. Michigan residents who want online casino-style entertainment have the legal real-money option via state-licensed operators (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, and others all hold MGCB licenses).
Why this matters for the rest of the country
Michigan's campaign was one of the earliest aggressive state-level actions against US sweepstakes casinos, and other states with regulated real-money online casino (NJ, PA, WV, CT, DE, RI) have since gone further. New Jersey banned sweepstakes casinos by statute in August 2025, and Connecticut made operating or promoting one a felony from October 1, 2025. Most major brands have also left Delaware and West Virginia after enforcement action there.
New York took a different route to the same result: S5935-A, signed on December 5, 2025 and effective immediately, bans dual-currency sweepstakes casinos outright, after most major brands had already left in spring 2025. Between Michigan (enforcement through cease-and-desist letters) and New York (a statutory ban), states have shown two ways to shut the model out.
What Michigan residents can do
Michigan has legal real-money online casino under MGCB regulation. DraftKings Casino, FanDuel Casino, BetMGM, Caesars Palace Online, Borgata, BetRivers, and Golden Nugget all hold MI licenses. These are real-money operators with regulator-backed dispute protections and full state-level player safeguards.
If sweepstakes specifically is what you want (for the free-play element, the dual-currency structure, or specific brand preferences) the model isn't broadly available in Michigan currently. Watching the MGCB's position over the next 12-24 months is the most realistic posture; until the board's stance changes, sweepstakes options for MI residents are limited.
Updated September 23, 2026: We corrected this article. It said New York's restrictions came from Department of Financial Services guidance, which we could not verify, and that states with licensed online casinos had not moved against sweepstakes, when New Jersey and Connecticut had already banned them. LuckyLand Slots, listed above, closed on September 14, 2026.
