Maryland Orders VGW Cease Any Unlicensed Gaming

• The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has sent VGW a cease-and-desist order
• The agency believes VGW is conducting online gaming activities in the state without the legal authority to do so
• It has set a deadline of March 27 for VGW to cease these operations in Maryland

The Maryland Gaming Control Agency sent a cease-and-desist to Virtual Gaming Worlds on March 12 after an investigation found the company was allegedly offering and conducting online gaming activities in the state.

The order came one day after Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), an Australian company that operates Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots in the U.S., testified in opposition to a Maryland House of Representatives bill prohibiting sweepstakes games.

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA) has set a deadline of Thursday, March 27, for VGW to cease its offerings.

MLGCA Believes VGW Offers Unlicensed Gaming

The MLGCA noted in its order that the only online gaming permitted in the state is licensed online sports betting and online fantasy competitions. As VGW has not been awarded an online sports betting license by the agency, its offerings in Maryland are illegal, according to the MLGCA.

Additionally, iGaming in all forms is currently prohibited in the state.

“The commission has no record of VGW being issued a sports wagering license, a casino gaming license, or registration as a fantasy competition operator,” Michael Eaton, Managing Director of Gaming for the MLGCA, wrote in the order.

VGW, through its Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots platforms, offers sweepstakes gaming in Maryland. Legislation is currently making it way through the House – and has already been approved by the Senate – to prohibit sweepstakes casinos in the state.

A lobbyist for VGW recently spoke out against Del. Eric Ebersole’s (D-44A) bill, HB 1140, to prohibit sweepstakes gaming in the state. Its counterpart has already been approved in the Maryland Senate. Maryland has long been looking into the possibility of legalizing iGaming, but like Illinois online casinos, it’s just a possibility that’s yet to make it beyond bill form.

Want more sports betting regulatory news? Sign up for the SBD Newsletter below.

Defend Your Position

The MLGCA requested VGW include details by March 27 on the following if they are offering any of these gaming activities in the state:

• A detailed description of the name of each casino game offering, along with its mobile link, or its retail location and trade name
• A detailed description of each sports wagering offering, along with its mobile link, or its retail location and trade name
• A detailed description of each fantasy competition offering, along with its mobile link, or its retail location and trade name
• Any legal analysis or opinion interpreting Maryland law that concludes, advises, or suggests that VGW may legally offer sports wagering, casino games or fantasy competition games in Maryland without commission registration or licensure

If VGW is offering any sports betting or iGaming activity for which it is not licensed, the agency asks VGW to acknowledge as such in its responses and a date within 10 days of the letter in which it intends to cease operations.