The regulator confirmed the decision Wednesday (April 1) after completing a review of FanDuel’s systems and controls. Officials examined technical standards such as geolocation accuracy, data security, and responsible gaming tools to ensure they hold up in a shared, multi-state environment.

In gambling news, the PokerStars platform is moving to FanDuel, effective today. Poker now will be available on FanDuel in Michigan.

— Tony Paul | Detroit News (@TonyPaul1984) April 1, 2026

“FanDuel is a well-established operator in the Michigan gaming market,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said. 

“Michigan players can have confidence in the integrity of the games they play, backed by the same rigorous oversight the MGCB applies across all licensed gaming activity.”

Michigan became part of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in 2022, though each operator must still secure individual approval before linking player pools. With this authorization, FanDuel joins the limited group of platforms able to expand beyond state-only poker ecosystems.

For players, the benefits are expected to show up quickly. A larger network typically leads to more active tables throughout the day and bigger tournament prize pools, addressing long-standing limitations tied to smaller, state-based player pools.

How FanDuel multi-state poker changes the market in Michigan

Shared liquidity has been one of the biggest missing ingredients in U.S. online poker. By combining players across multiple jurisdictions, operators can keep games running consistently and offer more competitive prize structures, making the experience more appealing overall.

Michigan regulators stated that local protections will still apply. Even when competing against out-of-state players, Michigan users remain subject to in-state rules covering identity checks, age restrictions, and responsible gaming measures.

The move also lines up with enforcement and market-building efforts in the state. Regulators recently issued cease-and-desist letters to 12 offshore gambling operators accused of targeting Michigan residents without licenses.

Meanwhile, FanDuel has been expanding across multiple verticals as the U.S. online gaming market grows. Alongside its poker ambitions, the company has rolled out new jackpot-style features in its online casino offerings, pooling prize money across larger groups of players to create bigger potential payouts. This has now been extended to poker. 

The company has not announced a firm launch date for multi-state poker in Michigan. 

Featured image: FanDuel / Canva

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The arrests came after an international investigation coordinated by Europol. Authorities say the group built a complex financial setup that used gambling systems and bank accounts to disguise illegal profits.

Coordinated action days in June 2025 led to eight arrests in Alicante and four more in Valencia. Investigators also carried out searches in Ukraine during the operation.

In total, officers searched nine properties across Spain and another eight in Ukraine. During those raids, police seized electronic equipment, cash and other tools believed to have been used to manage the laundering scheme.

Investigators say the organization centered its operation on online betting accounts funded with bank cards linked to accounts opened in Spain.

According to authorities, Ukrainian women who had received temporary protection after fleeing the war were transported to Spain and taken to banks to open accounts. Once those accounts were established, the women were sent back to Ukraine while the suspects kept control of the financial access created in their names.

The accounts later became the backbone of the money-laundering operation.

Gambling platforms became laundering pipeline for international fraud network involving Ukrainian refugees

Police say the suspects connected credit cards issued to the bank accounts with profiles on online gambling platforms. Some of those betting accounts were created using stolen identities belonging to Spanish citizens. Others relied on the identities of the Ukrainian women whose accounts had already been opened.

From there, the group used automated software to place bets and move money between gambling accounts. Investigators believe the constant betting activity helped cycle illicit funds through the platforms before the money was withdrawn as what appeared to be legitimate gambling winnings.

Authorities estimate the network deposited more than €2.7 million ($3.1 million) into betting platforms and eventually withdrew more than €4.7 million ($5.4 million). Investigators believe the operation ultimately produced roughly €4.75 ($5.5 million) million in profit.

The case also exposed a much wider web of financial fraud. Investigators identified more than 3,000 stolen credit cards and over 5,000 stolen identities connected to the scheme, spanning at least 17 nationalities.

Law enforcement agencies also identified or blocked 153 bank accounts across 11 countries.

During searches, officers seized 88 mobile phones, 20 computers, about 500 SIM cards and four vehicles. Police also confiscated roughly €73,000 and $4,200 in cash along with around €200,000 worth of cryptocurrency. Authorities said they recovered 22 automated tools used to run the betting activity.

Europol helped coordinate intelligence sharing between countries and deployed specialists to assist during the action days.The operation comes as European authorities step up scrutiny of online gambling systems. Recent Europol-supported raids targeting illegal betting networks have stretched beyond Spain to other countries including Sweden. In Ukraine, regulators have also moved to clamp down on illicit gambling activity, recently blocking 371 illegal gambling websites amid ongoing regulatory uncertainty.

Featured image: Canva

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The regional sports networks owned by Main Street Sports Group are winning over streaming subscribers.

FanDuel Sports Network, the recently rebranded portfolio of regional channels, said Monday its paid subscribers doubled to nearly 650,000 over a period of eight weeks. The company expects to reach one million direct-to-consumer customers by the end of the year.

The update comes months after Main Street Sports Group emerged from bankruptcy protection, having significantly trimmed its debt load and scaled back on the number of teams in its portfolio after reworking its agreements with lenders, teams and leagues.

There are 15 owned and operated networks under the FanDuel Sports Network banner — known as Bally Sports until recently — airing coverage of 30 Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League teams across the U.S.

On Monday, the company said that since the start of the 2025 MLB season, the streaming platform has been averaging 250,000 unique daily users and about one million unique monthly users. In addition, the average watch time per game is up 9% year over year to 92.5 minutes, according to the company.

The numbers have been buoyed by new ways to stream the networks. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, Main Street Sports inked a deal with Amazon’s Prime Video to make the networks available on the streaming platform, in addition to their own direct-to-consumer apps.

The deal with Amazon is nonexclusive, giving Main Street the ability to pursue streaming rights deals with other partners, CNBC previously reported.

In March, the company struck another partnership with SB Nation and Yahoo Sports with the goal of “accelerating subscriber growth and expanding awareness” of the streaming app ahead of the start of the MLB season. That partnership integrates affiliate links and tune-in messaging within SB Nation’s content. It also ties the networks to Yahoo’s Sports fantasy community, and offers free trials periodically.

Michael Schneider, chief operating officer and general manager of direct-to-consumer at Main Street Sports Group, credited the growth to FanDuel Sports Network’s various partners, as well as what he called an “efficient acquisition program” for capturing new customers.

He added that team partners have been helping, too, with promotional offers for fans on social and digital platforms helping to drive subscriptions.

“We’re progressing on our mission to reinvent the local sports media landscape by delivering a new standard for teams and their hometown fans, while also elevating the visibility of our team partners,” said David Preschlack, CEO of Main Street Sports Group, in a news release.

The various streaming and digital partnerships come as regional sports networks like those owned by Main Street Sports are weighed down by substantial losses among pay-TV subscribers.

For years, regional sports networks had proved to be a lucrative business model for teams and leagues. But the fleeing of pay-TV subscribers to streaming options have left the networks needing to adapt and facing pushback from pay-TV distributors about their contracts.

Recently, MSG Networks went dark for customers of Altice USA’s pay-TV bundle before the two reached a deal that gave Altice more flexibility. MSG Sports, which airs local New York Knicks and other teams’ games on pay TV and its Gotham Sports streaming app, has faced financial turmoil as the regional sports network model evolves.

FanDuel Sports Network starts at $19.99 a month for access to one network and gets more expensive for broader access depending on the region. The relatively expensive price point for streaming regional sports networks is due to contracts with pay TV providers. Preschlack told CNBC Sport in an interview earlier this year the company will test out lower price points.

Schneider said pricing is uniform in most regions.

“Teams have provided specific offers to their fan base and we’re learning by constantly testing what the optimal price point and offers are to bring in maximum subs,” he said.

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Just weeks after a drastic overhaul replaced Norah O’Donnell with a “60 Minutes”-style news magazine helmed by a pair of little-known anchors, the Tiffany Network is reverting to a more news-driven broadcast as ratings tumble, sources said.

That’s after embarrassments like last week, when the “Evening News” led with “Why can’t Johnny read?” — a six-minute feature package about student literacy — despite a busy news cycle that included Elon Musk appearing at the White House and Russia’s release of a US prisoner.

“CBS Evening News” is backtracking on its “60 Minutes-style” format and adding back a greater emphasis on breaking news. Gail Schulman/CBS News

“They’ve realized they can’t ignore the news,” said an industry insider of the third-place show. “You can’t really ignore the tsunami of news that is coming out of the White House and Washington.”

The new format was the brainchild of CBS News CEO and president Wendy McMahon, who wanted to shake up the perennially third-place program anchored by O’Donnell for the past five years.

McMahon tapped “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens to bring longer reported pieces to the “Evening News.” She also replaced O’Donnell with lesser-known — and less expensive anchors Maurice DuBois and Jeff Dickerson.

The duo has been widely panned by current and former CBS News employees.

One source said Dickerson “looked like a deer in the headlights” during the nightly broadcast, while another said former WCBS anchor DuBois is a “complete unknown” to anyone outside of the New York City market.

“There are a couple of things you want from an anchorman or woman,” said a former news executive. “You want to invite them into your house because you like them. Or they have to have credibility.”

Sources speculate that CBS News boss Wendy McMahon’s future
is uncertain after critics panned her revamped “Evening News.” Getty Images fo Anti-Defamation League

“What credibility does Maurice DuBois have and what credibility does John Dickerson have other than political reporting?” the source added. “None.”

The overhaul comes as Skydance Media aims to merge with the Paramount Global-owned network this year in a deal that is expected to result in sweeping layoffs and a restructuring of Paramount, home to CBS, MTV and Showtime.

Sources told The Post that there are rumors that Skydance CEO David Ellison and former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell, who is primed to take over as president of the merged company, has doubts about McMahon’s strategy for the news division.

McMahon replaced Norah O’Donnell, who had anchored the nightly news program for five years, with less-known hosts Dickerson and DuBois. CBS via Getty Images

“The Ellison-Skydance contingent has not been impressed by her strategy or leadership ability,” another source told The Post.

Skydance and Shell declined to comment

“I don’t think Wendy survives,” the first insider said, citing the future of the exec at CBS under new corporate overlords. “Where are Wendy’s wins? What has she done?”

CBS News declined to comment.

On Wednesday, McMahon’s right hand Adrienne Roark exited the network, which insiders speculated looked like the start of a stampede ahead of the merger.

“Evening News” correspondent and “Face The Nation” host Margaret Brennan landed in hot water Sunday over her remarks about free speech and the Holocaust. CBS via Getty Images

Since the Dickerson-Dubois pairing was launched on Jan. 27, the ratings have experienced a consistent decline, according to Nielsen data. While the show debuted with 5.2 million total viewers, it slid to 4.8 million viewers on average its first week on air.

By its second week, the show lost roughly 300,000 viewers and by its third week ended Feb. 16, it garnered just under 4.5 million total viewers the data showed.

A source close to CBS News said the drop-off in viewers was “not a surprise.”

“When there is an anchor change, traditionally there is a dip in ratings. We understood there would be a short-term ratings hit and we are in this for the long term and are confident in our long game,” the source said.

Sources criticized the “Evening News” hosts Dickerson (left) and DuBois (right) for their lack of chemistry. CBS News

The “Evening News” has scrambled to adapt on the fly, leading with more breaking news and analysis from CBS News correspondents including Margaret Brennan, who has been criticized by President Trump and Vice President Vance.

On Sunday, Brennan was ripped by critics after she claimed free speech was “weaponized” in Germany to carry out the Holocaust during a back-and-forth with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Part of the McMahon’s initial strategy for the revamped “Evening News’ was to cut costs by running fewer, longer stories than shorter, news-driven stories told by reporters on the scene.

Paramount-owned CBS is expected to merge with Skydance Media later this year. AFP via Getty Images

For the Delta plane crash story, CBS News didn’t send a reporter to Toronto, but instead ran an interview of a survivor by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The show has found other ways to quickly — and cheaply — cover news stories such as the IRS layoffs under Trump, the egg shortage and the measles outbreak in Texas, in its “round up” segment that lasts roughly one minute each night.

“They have realized a cheap way to cover the news,” an industry insider said, noting that the show’s credibility may have slid.

Puck News recently reported that the feature-driven format and show’s anchor duo have become fodder for a broader internal critique of the show and its leader McMahon.

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