Maryland orders betwhale to cease unlicensed online gaming

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission issued a notice to cease and desist to betwhale on 2 November 2026, directing it to immediately stop offering online casino gaming, poker and sports betting to people physically present in Maryland.

The Commission said it had reviewed betwhale’s website and found offerings containing the elements of gaming: “consideration, chance and prize”. Under Maryland law, it said, gaming is illegal unless expressly authorised. The notice was signed by Michael Eaton, the Commission’s managing director of gaming, and sent by email to assistance@betwhale-mail.com.

What betwhale must do

The notice requires betwhale to acknowledge it by email within 10 days of 2 November, confirm that it will cease all three categories of online gaming in Maryland, provide the date operations will end and submit a wind-down plan. On that stated timetable, the response is due on 12 November 2026.

The Commission said the only currently legal forms of real-money online gaming or wagering in Maryland are mobile sports wagering offered by Commission-licensed operators and online fantasy sports competitions offered by Commission-registered operators. It said no other operators or forms of real-money online gaming are currently legal in the state.

The notice is a direction to stop and a request for a compliance response, not a monetary penalty. It warns that failure to comply “may jeopardize” betwhale’s qualifications for any future Commission-issued licence, registration or certification.

Scope of the finding

The Commission said its decision is the final determination of whether gaming is operated legally in Maryland, citing section 12-113 of the Criminal Law Article of the Maryland Code. Its finding is limited to the activities available through betwhale’s site to customers physically located in Maryland.

Betwhale must now confirm its cessation date and wind-down arrangements by 12 November.