Maryland’s gaming regulator has ordered SpeedSweeps and Cashoomo to stop providing unauthorized online gaming to people physically present in the state. The nearly identical notices, dated Nov. 2, covered online casino games, poker and sweepstakes and required an immediate cessation of the activity.
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission determined that each site’s offerings involved consideration, chance and prize, meeting the state’s definition of gaming. Because Maryland permits gaming only when expressly authorized, the commission concluded that neither operator’s online offerings were legal in the state.
Each company was given 10 days from the notices to acknowledge and respond by email. They were required to confirm they would stop offering online casino gaming, poker and sweepstakes in Maryland, provide an operations-ending date and submit a wind-down plan.
The notices warned that noncompliance could jeopardize either company’s eligibility for any future commission-issued licence, registration or certification. Maryland law permits real-money online wagering only through commission-licensed mobile sports wagering operators and online fantasy competitions offered by registered operators.
As we reported in September, Maryland sweepstakes casinos remained available despite the regulator’s earlier enforcement efforts and failed legislative bans. The latest notices followed a similar August letter to Jackpot Go concerning online casino gaming, poker and sweepstakes.
SpeedSweeps and Cashoomo brought the number of entries on Maryland’s cease-and-desist recipient list above 90, according to RG.org. The list includes social casino brands, offshore sites and prediction-market operators, although Maryland Lottery and Gaming says it is not a comprehensive record of platforms operating illegally in the state.
The regulator says it periodically contacts operators that appear to be operating illegally, asking them either to confirm they are not doing so or to cease activity for which they lack a licence or registration. It advises consumers that only operators it lists as licensed or registered should be considered to be conducting legal gaming activity in Maryland.
