Regulator

Michigan Gaming Control Board

The Michigan regulator of the three Detroit commercial casinos, internet gaming and sports betting, whose 2025 enforcement threats against platforms carrying event contracts prompted Coinbase to sue and which was itself dismissed from that suit on sovereign immunity grounds on 6 August 2026.

Kind Regulator

Jurisdiction United States

Founded 1997

Stories filed 2

The profile

The Michigan Gaming Control Board implements and enforces the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act, Public Act 69 of 1997, MCL 432.201 et seq, which governs the licensing, regulation and conduct of casino gaming in the City of Detroit. Its remit covers the three Detroit casinos, MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown; the licensing and regulation of internet gaming and sports betting operators, platform providers and suppliers, and of fantasy contests; pari-mutuel horse racing and casino-style charitable gaming; and audits of the tribal gaming compacts covering Michigan's twelve federally recognised tribes. Its executive director is Henry Williams, appointed in 2021, and James H. Townsend was appointed chair with effect from 1 August 2026. The instrument that matters for event contracts is the Lawful Sports Betting Act of 2019, under which internet sports betting may be offered only by a licensed commercial casino or a federally recognised tribe. The board issued enforcement threats in 2025 against operators facilitating access to prediction markets in the state and wrote to the CFTC about the risks of unlicensed sports event contracts, and those actions are the credible threat on which Coinbase's federal suit was founded.

Frameworks and functions

Lawful Sports Betting Act: The 2019 Michigan statute the board enforces, which confines internet sports betting to licensed commercial casinos and federally recognised tribes and defines sports betting to include exchange betting, proposition bets and in-game betting.
Internet gaming and sports betting licensing: The board's authorisation regime for operators, platform providers and suppliers offering online casino games and sports wagering to Michigan residents, alongside its registration of fantasy contest operators.

Coverage

Developments in which Michigan Gaming Control Board is a named party, newest first.

Prediction markets

Michigan enjoins Kalshi, and Kalshi asks why only Kalshi

The 30th Circuit barred KalshiEX from anything connected with sports wagering in the state and set a $500,000 a day penalty for failing to geofence it.

today Michigan Department of Attorney General 3 reports

Prediction markets

Michigan court denies Coinbase, holding event contracts are not swaps

A federal judge in Detroit refused to stop Michigan enforcing its sports betting law against Coinbase, finding that sports event contracts are probably not swaps under the Commodity Exchange Act and that, even if they were, the Act does not displace…

today US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan 2 reports

Other asset classes United States

On the record

1 Sep 2026

A Michigan court enjoins Kalshi and prices the geofence at $500,000 a day

The Circuit Court for the 30th Judicial Circuit granted a preliminary injunction on 1 September 2026 barring KalshiEX from any activity connected with sports wagering in Michigan, requiring a state-licensed geolocation provider and setting a $500,000 daily penalty for failing to meet it. Kalshi had told the department it would seek dissolution if competitors were not pursued.

Regulatory United States Other asset classes Nessel v. KalshiEX LLC, No. 26-1087-CZ, Order Granting Preliminary Injunction ↗

6 Aug 2026

Michigan court denies Coinbase an injunction over sports event contracts

Judge Shalina D. Kumar of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan denied Coinbase Financial Markets a preliminary injunction on 6 August 2026, holding that sports event contracts are probably not swaps under the Commodity Exchange Act and that the Act preempts Michigan's gambling laws neither expressly nor by implication. The Gaming Control Board was dismissed on Eleventh Amendment grounds.

Regulatory United States Other asset classes US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan: order denying preliminary injunction, Coinbase Financial Markets, Inc. v. Nessel ↗

Official

www.michigan.gov/mgcb ↗

Sources

Michigan Gaming Control Board: About MGCB michigan.gov · 7 Aug 2026
US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan: order denying preliminary injunction, Coinbase Financial Markets, Inc. v. Nessel storage.courtlistener.com · 7 Aug 2026