Action aims to safeguard Michigan players from unregulated, high-risk gambling practices

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has taken swift and decisive action against 13 illegal offshore gambling websites, which were found to be unlawfully targeting Michigan residents. The websites in question—Captain Jack Casino, Casino Brango, Ducky Luck Casino, El Royale Casino, Jazz Casino, Jazz Sports Casino Racebook, Looselines, Planet 7 Casino, Red Dog Casino, Royal Oak Casino, Silver Oak Casino, Skybook, and Slots of Vegas—were operating without proper state licenses, in clear violation of Michigan law.

The operators of these sites, based in jurisdictions including Curaçao, Costa Rica, and the Autonomous Island of Anjouan, have been issued cease-and-desist orders by the MGCB. The action comes as part of ongoing efforts to protect Michigan’s residents from unregulated gambling practices and ensure the integrity of the state’s gaming industry.

Protecting Michigan Residents from Illegal Gambling Risks “These illegal gambling websites put Michigan residents at significant personal and financial risk,” said Henry Williams, Executive Director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board. “Our priority is to maintain a secure and regulated gaming environment. These websites not only violate Michigan’s laws but also engage in deceptive practices that endanger consumers, including withholding winnings and imposing unfair wagering requirements.”

The websites, which allowed Michigan players to gamble using a variety of payment methods—such as credit cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies—engaged in dishonest practices, such as restricting withdrawals and demanding players meet high, often unreasonable, wagering thresholds before accessing their funds. This leaves users vulnerable to financial exploitation and undermines the fairness of the gambling experience.

In addition to financial risks, these offshore operators do not meet Michigan’s standards for responsible gaming, consumer protection, or data security, putting users at further risk of fraud and identity theft.

A Strong Message to Offshore Operators

The MGCB’s action serves as a firm warning to illegal offshore operators attempting to skirt Michigan’s legal framework. The cease-and-desist letters instruct the operators to cease all unlawful activities within 14 days of receipt. If the operators fail to comply, the MGCB will work with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office to pursue legal action against these entities.

How Michigan Residents Can Protect Themselves

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The MGCB strongly encourages Michigan residents to be vigilant and only engage with online gambling sites that are authorized and licensed by the State of Michigan. To assist players in identifying legal operators, the MGCB provides a list of approved platforms on its official website at Michigan.gov/MGCB.

Residents who suspect illegal gambling activity or who encounter suspicious online platforms are urged to report it immediately. Tips can be submitted by calling the MGCB hotline at 1-888-314-2682 or by emailing [email protected].

Commitment to Ensuring a Safe Gaming Environment

The Michigan Gaming Control Board remains unwavering in its commitment to preserving the integrity of Michigan’s gaming market. The MGCB continues to monitor the online gaming landscape closely to ensure all operators comply with state regulations and uphold the highest standards of consumer protection, fairness, and security.

“These relentless actions are part of our ongoing effort to provide a transparent and trustworthy gaming environment for all Michigan residents,” Williams added. “We will continue to take necessary steps to protect players and maintain the integrity of Michigan’s regulated gaming industry.”

Gambling in any form is for entertainment purposes only. If you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER, text 800GAM, or visit www.1800gamblerchat.org. Help is available 24/7 and is free and confidential.

MixRift, a mixed reality (MR) gaming start-up today announces the launch of its third title, Crit Attack: a new MR arcade wave shooter game, developed to satisfy the need of three generations of gamers for immersive and engaging MR experiences.

Just in time for the holiday season, the game is easy and free to play, and is compatible with Meta Quest 3, 3S, Pro and 2. In-app purchases like upgrades and extra ‘lives’ are available to make the most out of the playing session, but players can also win these by playing the game for longer. With Cyber Monday just behind us, you can leverage Meta Quest’s deals and play Crit Attack with the family to defend your living room from a wave of monsters.

The combination of the game mechanic (arcade wave shooter), the graphics and the ease of picking it up make Crit Attack unique in the Meta Store, where the emphasis is on the more story driven, multiplayer, longer sessions. Powered by that growing market feedback for more ‘family-friendly’, less intense or graphic violence games, and a nostalgia for 80s and 90s games and entertainment brought to today, Crit Attack is a simple and casual game that anyone can intuitively understand how to use and play.

Bobby Voicu, MixRift’s CEO, commented: “By listening to our audience we noticed a nostalgia trend, driven by TV series like “Strange Things” or games like “Stardew Valley” and “Minecraft” with pixelated graphics. This enables the entire family to enjoy our games – the generation that first played games in arcades, the generation that played the early consoles and, finally, Gen Z and Alpha that can use their MR devices for a competitive and fun game.

The launch of Crit Attack underscores our vision to drive mass MR adoption and make gaming accessible to everyone by developing games that are easy for anyone to play, and deeply immersive. It’s the perfect gift for the whole family to enjoy – what better way to spend Christmas than uniting to fight a wave of monsters?”.

Key features that differentiate it from existing MR experiences:

‘Friendlier’ look and feel: The only MR game where arcade wave shooters are combined with the kind of graphics offered, for the entire family to play. The monsters are cute and annoying rather than scary, appearing in waves – making it a very fun experience for everyone.

Accessible, simple and easy user experience: Easy to pick up and play – simply pick up a controller and point the in-game guns at the monsters that come and try to invade your living room; even the “Play” button is a button you can shoot. Though simple to understand, the game can be a truly tactical experience.

“One more time” experience: The wave arcade shooter mechanic makes it the ideal game for short gaming sessions that players want to experience “one more time” according to user feedback, as with each time they understand what to do to get more monster waves destroyed.

Low time commitment required to play – a more casual experience, where you can play for a half an hour or less session.

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MixRift’s unique approach is centred on game mechanics, developing and releasing games that resonate with audiences, quickly rather than investing years in a single title.

Voicu added: “While the demand for MR experiences continues to grow, largely driven by tech giants like Meta and Apple, there’s a clear lack of high-quality MR games out there. We’re in the perfect position to tackle this because our flexibility lets us dive into unique game mechanics built specifically for MR. We’re not just making games—we’re pushing boundaries to create new kinds of interactive experiences, changing the way we engage with this technology in our daily lives.”

MixRift has been at the forefront of the MR/XR revolution since its inception, pushing the boundaries of seamless integration between physical and digital realms to create ‘wow’ moments for gamers. In August, MixRift raised £1.6M, primarily directed towards accelerating its game development efforts. The company’s additional games Hell Horde (MR Survival) and Fractured (MR 3D puzzle) are available on Apple Vision Pro and the Meta Quest. MixRift has an ambitious roadmap ahead, including a new, exciting  gaming title in Q1 2025.

As it has been doing since 2005, Spectrum Gaming Group released its annual list of the U.S. Top 10 Trends in Gaming – the most significant issues that regulators, operators, and suppliers need to consider as they make plans for the coming year. This list, in alphabetical order, represents the issues that will be most impactful to economics and public policy.

Digital Sweepstakes Gaming: Whether legal or illegal or somewhere in between, states and the mainstream gaming industry alike will continue to watch this upstart form of gaming closely to determine whether it is a threat or an opportunity … and potentially a catalyst for states to legalize traditional igaming.

Historical Horse Racing: Where casino slot machines are not permitted, both states and pari-mutuel and gaming industries will continue to advocate for the legalization or expansion of historical horse racing. Kentucky, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Wyoming have demonstrated the potential of HHR machines, which have greatly narrowed the performance gap between them and slots.

iGaming: There appears to be little movement for igaming to be approved in new jurisdictions for 2025. Meanwhile, there are emerging indications that the continuing growth of igaming revenues in some of the seven current states may be slightly impacting retail gaming revenues, as seen in flattening year-over-year growth. In New Jersey, igaming revenues in October surpassed retail casino revenues – and the gap is narrowing in other igaming states. This deserves careful analysis in 2025.

Merging of Verticals: Operators are employing a single, cross-platform strategy as they seek new ways to leverage technology while gaining greater access to player databases. Examples include the acquisition of Jackpocket by DraftKings, the acquisition of NeoGames by Aristocrat, and distributed gaming operator Accel Entertainment moving into casino operations, which followed moves by casino operators Boyd and Penn Entertainment into route operations. More such acquisitions across verticals can be expected in 2025.

New York City: After delaying the process this year, New York State intends to award up to three full-scale casino licensees for the New York City metro area. A key decision will be whether the state essentially converts current racetrack gaming operations Empire City and Resorts World NYC into full casinos while also selecting a third winner, or awards the three licenses to other applicants.

Policy: Emerging generations of elected and appointed officials are modifying and establishing gaming policies that are increasingly at odds with past practices. A vivid example of this can be found in states that are considering authorizing new forms of gaming (as identified in this list) without regard to maintaining standards of licensure or focusing on the integrity of licensees. This trend raises the risk of reducing public confidence in gaming.

Responsible Gaming: Operators and regulators alike are trying to determine how best to prevent problems and get ahead of negative trends in a player’s gambling activities. However, this will require data sharing and new legislation and regulations. 2025 is likely to see this issue and how far to go with it as a topic that jurisdictions will grapple with, especially those that typically lead in player protections and health.

“Skill” Machines: Various states face an increase in machines that are referred to as “skill” machines, while the regulated gaming industry views them as a form of unauthorized, unregulated gambling. While the issue is being debated, the number of locations – as well as the number of machines – continues to increase. Proponents of these games are endeavoring to seek licensure and to be taxed, while opponents say they cannibalize existing forms of legal gaming, and do not meet the requisite standards for licensure.

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Sports Betting: Having expanded wider and faster than any other form of legal gambling in this country’s history, sports betting operators will continue to look for new products, bet types, and promotions while also keeping an eye on potential state gaming-tax hikes as states’ federal pandemic aid runs out.

Texas: As the Texas biennial legislative session resumes in January, there will be the usual hope for enabling casino legislation, led by Las Vegas Sands – as well as a push for sports betting in this state highly prized by the gaming industry. But it appears to be another uphill battle for proponents, and the legalization push may have strengthened efforts by opponents.