You can’t play sweepstakes casinos from Michigan, and that’s been true since 2023. The state’s gaming regulator keeps swinging: in April 2026, it ordered another 45 sites to leave town, and the warnings haven’t stopped coming.
Our page covers why Michigan moved first, what to do with an old account, and the long list of sites that walked.
Save yourself the search because no proper sweepstakes casino site will take your Michigan signup, and that has been held since 2023. Michigan moved before anyone else, and its regulator, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), has been running the brands off without a break. It opened in late 2023 with cease and desist letters to PredictionStrike, Stake.us, and VGW, the company behind Chumba, LuckyLand, and Global Poker.
Every major name packed up by January 2024, yet the MGCB never let up, sending fresh waves of letters, the biggest in April 2026 with 45 in a single sweep. And Michigan never needed a sweepstakes law to pull this off, leaning on the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act, which turns unlicensed gambling into a felony, worth up to 10 years in prison and $100,000 per offense.
Check our first table for how that legal ground is set up, then the second for where it leaves you.
| Are sweepstakes casinos illegal in Michigan? | Yes. The MGCB classifies sweepstakes platforms as unlicensed gambling under the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act. |
| Did Michigan pass a sweepstakes-specific ban? | No. Michigan never passed a sweepstakes-specific statute. The MGCB applied existing gambling law (MCL Chapter 432) to push operators out. |
| What’s the penalty for operators? | Felony, up to 10 years in prison and $100,000 per offense. Unlicensed gambling is prosecuted under the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act and the Michigan Penal Code. |
| Who enforces it? | The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), led by Executive Director Henry Williams. |
| Why is Michigan hostile to sweepstakes? | Michigan has a $2B+ licensed online casino market (BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers Michigan). The MGCB protects that market from unlicensed competition. |
| How is enforcement going? | Ongoing. The MGCB’s most recent cease-and-desist wave was April 7, 2026, when it issued orders to 45 offshore operators in a single action. |
| What about free social casinos (Gold Coins only)? | Social casinos can still operate. The MGCB targets platforms offering real-money prize redemption, not pure free-play models. |
| What can I legally play in Michigan? | 3 Detroit commercial casinos, 23 tribal casinos, licensed online casinos (BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers Michigan), online and retail sports betting, the Michigan Lottery (including iLottery), and charitable gaming. |
| Can I sign up to a sweepstakes site in Michigan? | Mostly no. Major brands block Michigan at signup. The few sites that still let you in aren’t complying with Michigan law. |
| Will I get in trouble as a player? | No. There’s no legal ground in Michigan to charge a player for sweepstakes participation. The MGCB targets operators. |
| What about an old account if I had one? | Most operators closed Michigan accounts during their 2023-2024 wind-down. If you have an unredeemed balance, contact the operator directly through their support page. |
| Will a VPN help? | No. Sites verify your location at every login and close accounts that try to mask it. With Michigan’s strict regulatory environment, operators have additional reason to enforce geo-restrictions. |
| Do I owe taxes on winnings from before Michigan’s enforcement? | Yes, federal and state. Tax law treats sweepstakes winnings as taxable income regardless of how the state later classifies the activity. Report filed on Schedule 1; Michigan taxes them at 4.25% flat. |
Casinos that have already left Michigan
Compare Michigan to its neighboring states.
Michigan had the most to protect and the tools to do so. It was one of the first states to legalize online casinos, creating a market worth over two billion dollars a year. Sweepstakes offering similar games for free threatened this revenue stream directly. Fortunately, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) already held felony-grade enforcement power, so it did not have to wait for a new law.
By using a law it already had. The MGCB classified sweepstakes as unlicensed gambling under the existing Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act. That code already carried felony penalties, up to ten years and a hundred thousand dollars per offense. So, the board simply sent cease and desist letters between October and December 2023, and the brands complied. No new statute was ever needed because the existing one already reached them.
No, and Michigan has spent years making sure of it. The market closed in early 2024, and the MGCB has policed it ever since. Operators face felony exposure, which keeps any legitimate brand from testing the waters. The board was still issuing letters in 2026, so the door is watched, not just closed. Such a comeback would mean walking straight into one of the most actively enforced bans in the country.
