MGCB goes after MyBookie, hands cease-and-desist letter

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has issued another enforcement action against an unlawful operator in the Great Lakes State.

In an official update shared on the regulator’s website, the MGCB named MyBOokie.ag, a Curaçao-based website as the object of the latest investigation and a cease-and-desist letter ordering the company to voluntarily discontinue its operations in the state.

Michigan orders MyBookie.ag to withdraw within 14 days

The operator of the website, Duranbah Limited NV has been given a two-week period (14 days from receipt of the cease-and-desist letter) to withdraw from the market. Similarly, the MGCB threatened that it would turn to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office if the website and its operators failed to comply with the demand.

MyBookie is said to have been targeting US residents by offering them payment methods that are available locally, and are familiar options for most players, such as bank cards – Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, but also e-wallets such as PayPal or cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. MoneyGram was also among the accepted options.

"Our investigation into MyBookie.ag found that their operations were accessible to Michigan citizens, which violates state laws. We are taking strong action to uphold the principles of fair and legal gaming," said MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams who criticized MyBookie.ag’s operations in the state.

MGCB has outlined several important breaches of local laws. Among those was the Lawful Internet Gaming Act, the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act and the Michigan Penal Code. These transactions carry various penalties, including fines and prison time for non-compliant parties.

Cease-and-desist letters prove efficient in combating offshore gambling sites

The MGCB has already called for a unified front across jurisdictions against offshore gambling sites in the United States. Offshore gambling sites have been targeted by US regulators as they have become aware of their offerings locally.

Arizona issued a cease-and-desist letter against Bovada in December. Bovada has been similarly targeted in places such as Massachusetts, Tennessee, and elsewhere. Offshore websites are losing momentum in the United States as regulators are increasingly bullish against them.

Cease-and-desist letters issued by states with legalized sports betting (and often iGaming such as casinos) have been a good way to limit their share of the market. Bovada and MyBookie have been known to comply as they fear wider retribution from the United States.

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