More than any other state regulator, the Michigan Gaming Control Board takes pride in its ability to clamp down on illegal gambling operators of all stripes. On Thursday, the MGCB revealed its latest targets, sending cease-and-desist letters to three online gaming companies that have been deemed to be illegally operating in the Wolverine State.
The companies in question — PredictionStrike Inc., in Bay Shore, New York; Sweepstakes Limited (Stake.us), in Limassol, Cyprus; and VGW LuckyLand, Inc. (VGW) in San Francisco, California — received the MGCB’s communiques late last year. In a press release, the MGCB accuses these companies of operating without licenses and violating Michigan’s Lawful Internet Gaming Act and Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act, among other transgressions.
“Gambling regulations are in place for a reason, and illegal gambling operations are not welcome in Michigan,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said via the release. “We do not want businesses who skirt the law having access to Michigan citizens and leaving them vulnerable because they are playing on unregulated sites that leave them with no recourse, and that siphon funds away from communities because they are not paying taxes like a regulated, legal gambling establishment would.”
Encouragingly, the release also noted that the alleged scofflaws “have each taken steps to prevent Michigan residents from gambling on their websites” since receiving the letters.
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