Illinois Sends Cease-and-Desist Letters to 60+ Unregulated Online Casinos, Sweepstakes Sites

^{Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, whose office is partnering with the Illinois Gaming Board to enforce state gambling laws and pursue action against unlicensed online casino operators. (Photo: Matt Slocum / AP)}

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has partnered with the Illinois Attorney General's office to crack down on unregulated gaming in Illinois. The IGB issued a wave of more than 60 cease-and-desist letters to alleged illegal online gambling operations that are offering services in the state last Thursday.

The list included online casinos and sweepstakes casinos that do not hold licenses to provide gambling in Illinois.

Letters Accuse Operators of Flaunting Illinois Law

In the letters, the IGB says that it “has reason to believe” that operators are offering illegal online casinos in violation of Illinois law. 

“It is unlawful to knowingly establish, maintain, or operate an Internet site that permits a person to play a game of chance or skill for money or other things of value via the Internet, or that permits a person to make a wager upon the result of any sport, game, contest, political nomination, appointment, or election via the Internet, without an IGB-issued license,” the letters read. “Accordingly, the IGB demands that you block Illinois residents from accessing your services or discontinue offering cash, gift cards, and other prizes through your service.”

The letters, signed by IGB Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter, note that failure to comply with the cease-and-desist letters may result in civil or criminal penalties for operators and their partners.

In a press release speaking about the action, Fruchter said that the letters are part of an effort to protect residents from illegal and potentially dangerous gambling operations.

“Illegal online gambling operations threaten consumer protections, undermine responsible gaming safeguards, and are antithetical to the public’s interest in regulated gaming,” Fruchter said in the statement. “The IGB will continue to evaluate all available regulatory and law enforcement tools to combat illegal gambling and to protect Illinoisans.”

Regulators, Industry Groups Continue Crackdown on Unlicensed Operators

The IGB instead pointed players to a list of licensed casinos and sportsbooks available in Illinois.

“The law is clear: Gambling in Illinois must be properly licensed and regulated,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in the press release. “We will continue to work with the Illinois Gaming Board to protect our residents and hold illegal operators accountable.”

Some of the notable brands that received cease-and-desist letters in this round of action include Chumba Casino, Global Poker, High 5 Casino, LuckyLand Slots, Stake, and WOW Vegas.

The letters come at a time when industry officials and regulators have asked for crackdowns against illegal gambling operations.

In August 2025, a coalition of 50 attorneys general signed on to a letter urging the Department of Justice to help rein in illegal online gambling operations at the federal level. The American Gaming Association has also joined those calls, with AGA President and CEO Bill Miller famously stating that the organization had “declared war on the illegal market” at the 2024 Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.

At the state level, significant enforcement efforts have targeted the growing sweepstakes casino industry. Even as celebrities continue to endorse sweepstakes sites, several states have outlawed the casinos, which use a dual currency system that they claim is enough to classify them under sweepstakes law and do not directly offer real money gambling.California and New Jersey were among the states that signed sweepstakes casino bans into law in 2025.