Michigan Gaming Control Board Executive Director Henry Williams insists that the Wolverine State will not tolerate any forms of illegal gambling.
Speaking April 12 at the International Master of Gaming Law Spring Conference in Tampa, Florida, Williams was adamant: Michigan will prosecute anyone involved in illegal gambling activities.
“If people choose to ignore the law and don’t do what’s legal, we’re going to find them and hold them accountable for their actions,” Williams said during a panel discussion. “In Michigan, the Michigan Gaming Control Board has made it a priority to do everything we can to protect our state’s citizens from illegal-gambling-market operators and our legitimate gaming industry from being tarnished by its illegal counterparts. We have a zero-tolerance policy toward illegal gaming activities.”
Williams emphasized the need to combat illegal gaming operations on a worldwide scale through engagement with global regulatory counterparts and by advocating for stronger regulatory measures. He also shared what Michigan is doing to protect gaming-industry integrity.
In a partnership with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office in 2023, MGCB investigations resulted in 79 illegal gambling machines seized, nine individuals receiving criminal-gambling convictions, and 24 individuals arraigned on illegal-gambling charges.
Earlier this year, the MGCB sent cease-and-desist letters to three online-gaming companies, two in the U.S. and one overseas, after investigations revealed they were offering online gaming in Michigan without proper licenses.
