Michigan Gambling Laws
Michigan rolled out legal online casinos, poker rooms, and sportsbooks in January 2021 after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a major gambling expansion bill. The Great Lakes State now has a large regulated online gambling industry, but land-based casinos, sportsbooks, and poker rooms are also flourishing.
This page breaks down the various laws that have allowed gambling of all stripes to proceed in Michigan. We will explain how casinos, sportsbooks, lottery providers, and racetracks are regulated, and we will also delve into the legal gambling age in Michigan.
Legal online gambling in Michigan
Most forms of online gambling are legal in Michigan. You can play thousands of online casino games, compete in poker tournaments and cash games, bet on professional and college sports, play online lottery games, enter DFS contests, and place pari-mutuel wagers at online racebooks.
Gov. Whitmer officially legalized online casinos when she signed the Lawful Internet Gaming Act in December 2019. The law created 15 master licenses for online gambling in the Great Lakes State. They went to the state’s 12 federally recognized Native American tribes, plus three commercial casinos in Detroit.
Each master licensee can host one online casino. The online casino operators were required to pay a $50,000 application fee and a $100,000 initial license fee. They must also pay a $50,000 annual license renewal fee, along with a graduated gross revenue tax, which ranges from 20% to 28%.
The first Michigan online casinos were cleared to launch on Jan. 22, 2021. All 15 available licenses have been taken, so Michiganders have many different options when seeking an online casino, from major brands like BetMGM and Caesars Palace to local operators such as Play Gun Lake and FireKeepers.
Michigan also has more licensed software providers than most other states. That allows MI online casinos to offer a far larger range of games than their counterparts in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
The Lawful Internet Gaming Act also permits online poker in Michigan. Any companies that want to launch online poker rooms must partner with commercial casinos in Detroit or Native American tribes.
There are three regulated poker sites in Michigan: BetMGM Poker MI, PokerStars MI, and WSOP Online. PokerStars was the first site to launch in January 2021 after teaming up with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, who run Odawa Casino.
BetMGM Poker followed a couple of months later. Caesars Entertainment then launched WSOP Online in March 2022 after partnering with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, who run Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel.
Michigan became the fourth state to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in May 2022, joining founding members Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey. This interstate gaming compact allows poker sites to share player pools across all member states.
Michigan also legalized online sports betting when Gov. Whitmer signed the Lawful Internet Gaming Act. The first regulated online sportsbooks launched on Jan. 22, 2021, in conjunction with online casinos and online poker.
Each of Michigan’s 15 master licensees can host a single online skin, meaning there can be up to 15 online sportsbooks in the Great Lakes State. Most online casino providers also offer online sports betting.
Michigan sportsbooks pay an 8.4% revenue tax. That is one of the lowest tax rates in the country, and it has paved the way for an open, competitive market. There are currently 12 legal sports betting apps in Michigan, from FanDuel and DraftKings to Four Winds Sportsbook and Eagle Casino & Sports.
Online racebooks are permitted to operate in Michigan. They can take pari-mutuel wagers on thoroughbred and harness racing, but fixed-odds betting is not permitted. Prominent options include TwinSpires, TVG, and FanDuel Racing.
Michigan legalized fantasy sports contests via the Fantasy Contests Consumer Protection Act of 2019. DraftKings and FanDuel are the leading daily fantasy sports (DFS) apps in the Great Lakes State.
In August 2023, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MCBG) approved new rules banning pick’em style fantasy sports games run by sites like PrizePicks. The MCBG has also outlawed sweepstakes play at social sportsbooks like Fliff and social casinos like WOW Vegas and Pulsz.
Michigan became the fourth state to launch online lottery games in 2014. The Great Lakes State does not permit lottery courier services like Jackpocket and Lotto.com to operate, so you must buy tickets via the official Michigan Lottery app or the website.
Players in Michigan can buy tickets for Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash Pop, Club Keno, Daily 3, Daily 4, Fantasy 5, Lotto 47, and Lucky for Life online.
Michigan was also the first state to offer instant win games online. You can play approximately 350 of these games at the MI Lottery site or the app. They are similar to the scratch-offs sold at licensed lottery retailers in Michigan.
Michigan retail gambling locations and the law
Michiganders can visit commercial casinos and tribal casinos. Many of those resorts also host sportsbooks and poker rooms. Additionally, there is a single horse racing track in the Great Lakes State.
Commercial casinos
Michigan voters authorized three commercial casinos in Detroit when they approved Proposal E in November 1996. This formed the basis of the Michigan Gaming Control & Revenue Act, which was signed in 1997.
MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino opened in 1999. Greektown Casino Hotel, which is now known as Hollywood Casino at Greektown, then launched in 2000.
These Detroit-based commercial casinos in Michigan are permitted to offer slot machines and table games. They also host retail poker rooms.
Tribal casinos
Michigan’s 12 federally recognized Native American tribes run land-based casinos across the Great Lakes State. Some tribes only run a single casino, whereas others have several casino resorts.
There are now 23 Class III tribal casinos in Michigan. They operate under tribal-state gaming compacts, which permit them to offer slots, table games, and poker rooms.
Native American tribes are sovereign nations, so the state of Michigan does not hold general regulatory authority over tribal casinos. They are regulated by the National Indian Gaming Commission, under the authority of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.
Tribal casinos are also regulated by each tribal community’s government. Many of them have their own gaming commissions.
Sportsbooks
Retail sports betting was also legalized via the Lawful Internet Gaming Act. Land-based sportsbooks must be located at commercial casinos in Detroit or tribal casinos.
There are 20 retail sports betting lounges in Michigan. Some of the largest sportsbooks include the BetMGM Sports Lounge at MGM Grand Detroit, FanDuel Sportsbook at MotorCity Casino, and ESPN Bet Sportsbook at Hollywood Casino at Greektown.
Retail sportsbooks at commercial casinos also pay 8.4% revenue tax in Michigan. The state receives 3.78% and the city of Detroit receives 4.62%.
Racetracks
Michigan authorized pari-mutuel betting on horse races via the Racing Act of 1933. The law has been amended several times during the ensuing decades, and horse racing now operates under the Horse Racing Law of 1995.
There is only one horse racing track in Michigan: Northville Downs, which is located about 28 miles west of Downtown Detroit. Northville Downs hosts live racing, and simulcast racing is also available, allowing visitors to bet on races taking place across the country throughout the year.
Michigan does not have any off-track betting parlors, so Northville Downs is the only venue that offers in-person betting for horseplayers. However, it has partnered with TwinSpires and Flutter Entertainment, which owns TVG and FanDuel Racing, so you can place online wagers on horse races from anywhere in the state.
Michigan Lottery
The Michigan Lottery was established in 1972 under the authority of Public Act 239. The first tickets went on sale in November 1973, and a Chrysler Automobile plant worker named Hermus Millsaps won the first $1 million prize three months later.
There are now approximately 10,500 licensed lottery retailers in Michigan. Many of them are small, family-owned businesses. Retailers include convenience stores and gas stations, which sell lottery draw tickets, scratchers, pull-tabs, and keno tickets.
Michigan gambling law FAQ
The legal gambling age is 21 in Michigan for casino games, poker, and sports betting. That applies to in-person gambling and online casinos, poker rooms, and sportsbooks. You must be 18 or older to buy lottery tickets, place pari-mutuel bets on horse races, enter fantasy sports contests, or to play charity games like bingo, pull-tabs, and raffles
The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) is a compact that allows Michigan to share online poker players with New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, and West Virginia. It means that Michiganders can play poker with players located in New Jersey and Nevada at WSOP.com, while PokerStars covers both Michigan and New Jersey.
Yes, Canadians can play games at Michigan online casinos, but only if you are physically located in Michigan. You will need to turn on your phone’s location services when using a Michigan casino app or install a GeoComply plugin if you are using a laptop.
However, Ontario is the only Canadian province that borders Michigan. Ontario has its own regulated online casinos, so it would make more sense for Ontarians to use the local versions of apps like BetMGM and DraftKings Casino rather than driving into Michigan.
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