888 Casino vs MyBookie pairs two operators that both get called “offshore casinos” in passing, but only one of them still takes a US bet. 888 Casino sold its US business and shut its only state license — New Jersey — down on June 17, 2024. MyBookie has been open to American bettors since 2014 and, despite two 2025 cease-and-desist letters, still is in most states. That gap is the whole story here.
888 Casino vs MyBookie, side by side
| 888 Casino | MyBookie | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1997, as Casino-on-Net (Gibraltar-based since 2003) | 2014, Willemstad, Curaçao |
| Core license | UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, Gibraltar | Curaçao eGaming (Duranbah Limited N.V.) |
| US access | None — exited New Jersey, its only US license, June 17, 2024 | No state license, but still taking bets from most states |
| Product | Casino only, no sportsbook | Sportsbook, casino, and racebook in one account |
| Regulatory pressure | None currently — simply closed the US door itself | Michigan (Jan. 23, 2025) and Florida (Feb. 5, 2025) cease-and-desist letters |
| Banking | Visa/Mastercard, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard, bank transfer | Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Solana, USDT, USDC, cards, money orders |
Is 888 Casino or MyBookie Legal in the US?
Neither holds a current US state license, but that fact means something different for each. 888 Casino had one — New Jersey, from 2013 — and gave it up voluntarily when evoke plc sold the US business and closed the platform in June 2024. There is no legal 888 Casino pathway in the US now, full stop. MyBookie never held a state license in the first place; it operates in the same offshore gray zone as Bovada and BetOnline.ag, a zone that got noticeably tighter in early 2025 when Michigan and Florida regulators both sent cease-and-desist letters within two weeks of each other.
The asymmetry that matters: a US reader comparing these two isn't choosing between a “more legal” and a “less legal” option — they're choosing between a brand that has left the building and one that hasn't. 888 Casino's regulatory story became irrelevant to US readers the day it exited; MyBookie's is still being written.
Is 888 Casino or MyBookie More Legit?
888 Casino wins this on paper by a wide margin: three real regulators (UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, Gibraltar), a London Stock Exchange-listed parent, and roughly three decades of continuous operation dating back to 1997. MyBookie's legitimacy is a different kind of evidence — over a decade of forum-documented payouts under one Curaçao eGaming license, real oversight but nowhere near 888's regulatory depth. For a reader who can actually use either brand, though, that ranking flips in practice: 888's legitimacy doesn't reach the US at all.
Product: Casino-Only vs a Full Sportsbook Stack
888 Casino has never offered a sportsbook — it's slots and table games, full stop, aimed at the UK, Canada, Spain, Denmark, and similar regulated markets. MyBookie runs a sportsbook, casino, and racebook under one login, with a crypto-first cashier that clears Bitcoin withdrawals in 12 to 24 hours and a slower bank-wire fallback for players who'd rather avoid crypto. A reader searching for sports betting was never going to find it at 888 Casino, offshore regulatory status aside.
Which One for Who
For a US reader, MyBookie is the only one of these two brands that can actually be used today, and that reality outweighs its thinner licensing and the 2025 cease-and-desist letters. For a reader in the UK, Malta-regulated markets, Canada, Spain, or Denmark, 888 Casino is the sturdier, longer-track-record option, and MyBookie was never built for that audience in the first place — it doesn't hold licenses in any of those markets. Neither brand turns gambling into income; both run on a house edge, and MyBookie's users in particular are relying on offshore licensing with far less recourse than a US state regulator provides. If gambling stops being entertainment, call 1-800-GAMBLER.