Michigan Approval Still Applies to Crypto Sportsbooks With Offshore Licenses

Crypto sportsbooks taking wagers from Michigan residents need state approval regardless of their offshore jurisdiction, while Malta and Curaçao set distinct rules for digital assets and player complaints.

Michigan requires operators accepting online sports wagers from state residents to hold state authorization. Offshore sites without that approval are outside Michigan’s required self-exclusion system. Rules in a foreign jurisdiction do not replace the state’s authorization requirement.

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) requires business-to-consumer licensees to publish a process for player disputes and provide access to an eligible independent dispute-resolution service at no cost to players. Operators also need MGA approval before using digital assets in activities covered by its distributed-ledger policy. The policy bars accepting virtual financial assets with built-in anonymization or features that obscure a sender’s or recipient’s wallet address or the amount transferred.

The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) directly licenses and supervises online gambling operators under a law that took effect Dec. 24, 2024. The system replaced master licenses and sublicenses. Players can file complaints free of charge within six months of a bet’s settlement or the disputed incident. For complaints outside the responsible-gambling category, operators have four weeks to respond and can take one additional four-week period after giving written notice. Unresolved cases may proceed to independent dispute resolution.

Anjouan Gaming’s published complaint process directs players to first raise a dispute with the operator. If it remains unresolved 30 calendar days after that complaint, the player may take it to an approved outside provider, with the operator paying for the process.

A CGA crypto guideline dated June 2026 bars licensed operators from acting as exchanges or payment providers. It also prohibits accepting assets associated with sanctioned mixers or tumblers, as well as assets linked to wallet addresses on applicable sanctions lists or flagged by recognized blockchain-analysis providers. Full implementation of other measures, including wallet segregation and blockchain transaction analysis, is due by June 2027.