What a State Cease-and-Desist Letter Means for Offshore Casino Players (2025–2026 List)

Short answer: a cease-and-desist letter is a formal demand from a state regulator or attorney general ordering an offshore casino or sportsbook to stop taking bets from that state’s residents. It is not a criminal charge and it does not target players, but it almost always ends the same way: within weeks the operator adds the state to its restricted list and geoblocks it. Since February 2025 Florida, Michigan and Massachusetts have sent such letters to Bovada, BetUS, BetOnline and dozens of smaller brands, and Michigan alone ordered 45 operators to leave in April 2026. Here is what the letters say, who has received one, and what it means for your account.

What does a cease-and-desist letter legally require?

The letter cites the state’s gambling statutes and demands that the operator stop offering online casino games, sports betting or promotions to residents by a deadline, typically 14 days. The Michigan Gaming Control Board’s April 7, 2026 release states that operators that fail to comply face potential escalation to civil and criminal enforcement in coordination with the state attorney general. The demand is directed at the company, not at customers; no state has prosecuted players for using an offshore site, although a few restrict it. Operators almost never litigate. The pattern, confirmed after Massachusetts wrote to Bovada in 2025, is to add the state to the restricted-locations page and block registrations and logins from that state’s IP addresses.

Which operators have received letters since 2025?

Florida’s Gaming Control Commission sent letters on February 3, 2025 to three companies: Milvus Ltd (BetUS), Harp Media B.V. (Bovada) and Gaming Services Provider N.V. (MyBookie). The Michigan Gaming Control Board ordered BetUS to halt operations on May 7, 2025, and on April 7, 2026 issued orders to 45 offshore operators; the named brands include BetOnline.ag and SportsBetting.ag (the Chico Poker Network), buffalocasino.com, EddyVegas, Bet On USA, Casino Zenith, Golden Lady Casino, Anonymous Casino and ethcasino.io. Massachusetts’s attorney general wrote to Bovada in mid-2025 and to BetOnline on June 27, 2025. Ignition, Café Casino, Slots.lv and Super Slots did not appear in any of these actions. We did not find comparable 2025–2026 actions from Connecticut, New Jersey or Pennsylvania against these brands, which does not mean none exist.

What happens to your account when your state is added?

Your balance does not disappear, but access does. Operators generally let existing customers withdraw after the block takes effect, either through the cashier before the cutoff or by contacting support afterwards, so the practical rule is to withdraw as soon as your state appears in the news. Do not use a VPN to keep playing: every offshore operator’s terms void winnings obtained by masking location, and that clause is the single most common reason balances are confiscated. Bovada now blocks 20 states plus DC, BetUS has not published which states it blocks after its two letters, and BetOnline has orders from Massachusetts (2025) and Michigan (2026) on record; we list each site’s restricted states in its review.

Does a cease-and-desist letter mean the casino is a scam?

No. The letters go to operators that take bets without a state license, which describes every offshore site, including the ones that pay reliably. What the letters do tell you is which states you cannot use a given site from, and how the operator behaves under pressure: a company that geoblocks promptly and keeps paying withdrawals from the remaining states is behaving normally; one that keeps accepting deposits from a blocked state is not. That behavioral test is part of how we determine legitimacy, and the sites that failed it are on our blacklist.

How do you check whether your state is blocked before you deposit?

Every operator publishes a restricted-locations or restricted-states page in its help center; read it before you register, and read it again whenever a regulator in your state makes news. Bovada’s list has 21 entries (20 states plus DC), Ignition’s has five (Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York), and Everygame’s terms reserve the right to refuse US registrations altogether. We record the list for each site we test in our gambling site reviews and update it within the month when a new letter is published.

Play responsibly. You must be 18 or older (21 in most US states) to gamble online. If gambling has stopped being entertainment, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER, available 24/7, or visit our responsible gambling page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get in trouble for playing at an offshore casino that received a cease-and-desist?

The letters target operators, not players, and no state has prosecuted a customer for using one of these sites. A few states have laws that restrict online gambling by residents, so check your own state’s rules; the practical risk is losing access to your balance, not a charge.

Which states have sent cease-and-desist letters to offshore casinos?

Since 2025: Florida (February 3, 2025: BetUS, Bovada, MyBookie), Michigan (May 7, 2025: BetUS; April 7, 2026: 45 operators including BetOnline) and Massachusetts (mid-2025: Bovada; June 27, 2025: BetOnline).

Has Bovada been banned in my state?

Bovada blocks Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and West Virginia: 20 states plus DC, shown as 21 entries on its restricted-locations page.

What should I do if my state is added to a restricted list?

Withdraw your balance immediately through the cashier or by contacting support, and do not log in through a VPN afterwards; doing so voids winnings under every offshore operator’s terms.

Sources: Michigan Gaming Control Board press releases of May 7, 2025 and April 7, 2026 (michigan.gov/mgcb); Florida Gaming Control Commission press release of February 3, 2025 (flgaming.gov); SBC Americas and NEXT.io reporting on the Massachusetts attorney general’s letters to BetOnline and Bovada (June 2025); operator restricted-states pages checked September 22, 2026.