Maryland Lists Legal and Illegal Operators, Targets High 5 Casino with Cease-and-Desist

Defining the Legal Landscape

The legal sports betting list includes 11 licensed operators:

• Bally Bet Sportsbook,
• BetMGM,
• betParx,
• BetRivers,
• Caesars Sportsbook,
• Crab Sports,
• DraftKings,
• ESPNBet,
• Fanatics Sportsbook,
• FanDuel
• LetsBetMD.

For fantasy contests, 15 operators made the cut:

• AthStat,
• DataForce
• Fantasy Football,
• DraftKings,
• FanDuel,
• Fantasy Football Player’s Championship,
• FastDraft,
• FullTime Fantasy,
• GullyCricket,
• Knockout Fantasy Sports,
• OwnersBox,
• RealTime Fantasy Sports,
• Splash Sports,
• SportsHub,
• Underdog Sports, and
• Yahoo Fantasy Sports.

These groups hold valid licenses or registrations, tracked by the state since sports betting launched in December 2021.

Illegal operators got their own roster. Maryland Lottery and Gaming named 14 firms that received cease-and-desist letters for offering unlicensed gambling: Bet US, BetAnySports, BetNow.eu, Esport Newco (Blitz-Win Cash, Pool Blitz-Win Cash, Pool Blitz-Win, Bingo-Win Cash, Match3-Win Cash), Everygame, Fortune Coins, Golden Hearts, High Entertainment (High 5 Casino), McLuck, Rebet, SlotsandCasino, Stake.us, VGW (Chumba Casino, Luckyland Slots), and Zula.

The list isn’t exhaustive, only those served notices appear, but it signals active enforcement against off-the-books platforms.

Cracking Down on High 5 and Others

High 5 Casino, run by High Entertainment, landed in Maryland’s crosshairs with a cease-and-desist letter in early 2025. The state flagged it as part of a broader push against unlicensed operators. Another recent target was VGW, which operates Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots.

Maryland argued VGW’s promotional sweepstakes products, where players use in-game currency exchangeable for cash or prizes, count as illegal gambling under state law. Both cases tie to a pattern: regulators contacting firms suspected of breaking rules, demanding they prove compliance or shut down.

The process isn’t new. Maryland Lottery and Gaming keeps a running tally of cease-and-desist notices on its website, High 5 and VGW are just the latest. Bet US, Fortune Coins, and Stake.us also got letters for offering slots or betting without licenses.

Esport Newco’s five apps, Blitz-Win Cash and others, drew scrutiny for cash-prize games outside the legal framework. Each notice demands operators stop targeting Maryland residents or face further action, though specifics on penalties remain case-by-case.

This crackdown follows a big year for legal betting. Maryland’s 11 licensed sportsbooks handled $558 million in December 2024 alone, per state reports, with $81 million in gross revenue and $12 million in taxes at a 15% rate. Fantasy contests add smaller but steady revenue via registration fees. Illegal operators, though, siphon potential cash, estimates peg the state’s underground market at $1 billion annually.

Tightening Rules and Future Steps

Maryland’s not stopping at lists. Two bills, Senate Bill 860 (SB 860) and House Bill 1140 (HB 1140), hit the legislature in 2025 to tighten online gambling laws. They target sweepstakes operators, like High 5 and VGW, defining them as games with dual-currency systems (in-game coins swapped for cash or prizes).

The bills would ban operating, promoting, or aiding these setups, closing loopholes that let unlicensed firms skirt rules under a “promo” label. Software providers for such operators could also face liability if the laws pass.

The push builds on existing limits. Since sports betting went live, Maryland has kept online casinos and lotteries illegal, only sportsbooks and fantasy contests get a green light. SB 860 and HB 1140, backed by figures like Senator Clarence Lam, aim to cement that line. If enacted by the session’s end on April 27, 2025, they’d give regulators sharper tools, fines, injunctions, or partnerships with internet providers to block sites.