The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has formed a new partnership with Gamban to offer free licenses to residents who wish to utilize the responsible gambling application, designed to limit or fully eliminate access to iGaming platforms.
“Michigan is committed to ensuring that the expansion of legal gaming comes with the strongest possible safeguards for our residents,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said.
“Our partnership with Gamban gives anyone who wants help a free, proven tool to block access to online gambling — instantly and across all their devices.”
Gamban licenses block online gambling content regardless of regulatory status, including casino games, sports betting, poker, slots, social casinos, crypto gambling and NFT-based wagering.
Residents are eligible to claim a free license which ranges from one to five years and is “highly resistant” to removal once applied.
Gamban Director of External Affairs Matt Zarb-Cousin also spoke on the new collaboration, having said, “We are delighted to partner with the Michigan Gaming Control Board to make Gamban free for people where cost might otherwise be a barrier.
“When someone takes the first step toward quitting gambling, they will be made aware of all the services available in the state via the Gamban app, while it works to block gambling sites and apps in the background. This approach has improved overall rates of abstinence and recovery in other jurisdictions.”
The partnership was said to mark a “significant expansion” of the MGCB’s responsible gambling framework, hoping to provide additional coverage which extends past licensed Michigan operators to include unregulated and black market sites.
“The MGCB works hard to deliver meaningful, accessible responsible gaming support to residents across the state,” MGCB Responsible Gaming Section Manager Sandra Johnson said.
“Gamban helps people take back control, and this partnership ensures that anyone in Michigan who wants that help can get it — free of charge.”
The MGCB recently issued 45 cease-and-desist orders to offshore gambling operators found to be accepting wagers or offering casino-style gaming to residents without a valid state license on April 7.
The “sweeping” enforcement action was said to be part of the MGCB’s “relentless pursuit” to eliminate illegal gambling and protect the state’s regulated online gambling market.
Polymarket was denied a temporary restraining order by Michigan Judge Paul Maloney on March 11, as the state joins Nevada and Ohio in determining sporting event contracts are not ‘swaps’ regulated by the CFTC
