Detroit surcharge
Operators tied to one of the three Detroit commercial casinos owe an additional 1.25 percent city tax on top of the state tier. Tribal-partnered operators pay only the state rate.
US Online Casino Laws
Online Casinos in Michigan
Michigan has 15 licensed online casinos under MGCB oversight and posted a record $322 million in iGaming receipts in March 2026. Here are the sites we recommend and what the law lets you play.
- Real-money online casinos
- Legal and regulated
- Online sports betting
- Legal
- Online poker
- Legal, MSIGA shared liquidity
- Online lottery (iLottery)
- Legal since 2014
- Commercial casinos
- 3 in Detroit
- Tribal casinos
- 12 federally recognized tribes
- Sweepstakes / social casinos
- Restricted, enforcement active
- Minimum gambling age
- 21
- Regulator
- Michigan Gaming Control Board
Regulatory Timeline
How It Happened
Online gambling law signed
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs the Lawful Internet Gaming Act (PA 152) and the Lawful Sports Betting Act (PA 149), authorizing online casinos, sports betting, and shared interstate poker liquidity.
Online casinos go live
The Michigan Gaming Control Board authorizes the first batch of commercial and tribal operators to launch real-money online casinos and sportsbooks at noon.
Michigan joins MSIGA
MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams signs the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, opening Michigan poker rooms to combined player pools with Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware.
BetMGM enables shared poker liquidity
The MGCB authorizes BetMGM to merge its Michigan and New Jersey online poker pools, joining PokerStars and WSOP in offering interstate cash games and tournaments.
MGCB targets offshore operators
The regulator issues 12 cease-and-desist letters to offshore sites illegally serving Michigan residents, part of a year-long sweep of unlicensed sweepstakes and casino operators.
Market Revenue
Michigan iGaming Revenue
Monthly real-money online casino win reported by the state regulator. Latest March 2026: $322.1M.
National Standing
Michigan Passed New Jersey for Number Two
2025 finished with Michigan at $3.09 billion in online casino receipts, ahead of New Jersey's $2.91 billion. Only Pennsylvania posted a larger annual total. Per resident, Michigan now trades the top of that chart with New Jersey almost dollar for dollar.
| # | State | 2025 iGaming | Population | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | $3.46B | 13.0M | $266 |
| 2 | Michigan | $3.09B | 10.0M | $309 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $2.91B | 9.5M | $306 |
2025 annual gross iGaming receipts reported by each state regulator. Per-resident figures use U.S. Census 2024 population estimates. Connecticut, West Virginia, Rhode Island, and Delaware round out the seven-state legal-iGaming map.
Where to Play
Best Online Casinos in Michigan
Casinos we review and play at, ranked by our weighted score. Where We Play marks our affiliate partners.
Casinos we play at. We earn a commission when you sign up through these.
Closed Market
Fifteen Licenses, No More
Michigan does not issue standalone online casino licenses. Every brand has to attach to one of the three Detroit commercial casinos or one of 12 federally recognized tribes. That math caps the market at 15 anchor licenses. When PokerStars walked away on April 1, 2026, bet365 closed on the same tribal slot 16 days later.
- Detroit commercial
- 3MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity, and Hollywood at Greektown. Each pays the state tier rate plus a 1.25 percent Detroit city tax.
- Federally recognized tribes
- 12Each tribe holds one online gaming compact with the state and partners with an outside operator or runs its own platform.
- Anchor licenses
- 15The full shelf. New entrants have to wait for an operator to fold and acquire its slot, the route bet365 just took.
| Brand | Partner | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BetMGM Casino | MGM Grand Detroit | Commercial |
| FanDuel Casino | MotorCity Casino | Commercial |
| Hollywood Casino | Hollywood Casino at Greektown | Commercial |
| DraftKings Casino | Bay Mills Indian Community | Tribal |
| Caesars Palace Online | Sault Ste. Marie Tribe (Kewadin) | Tribal |
| BetRivers Casino | Little River Band of Ottawa Indians | Tribal |
| Golden Nugget Online | Keweenaw Bay Indian Community | Tribal |
| betPARX / Play Gun Lake | Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band (Gun Lake) | Tribal |
| FireKeepers iCasino | Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi | Tribal |
| Four Winds Online | Pokagon Band of Potawatomi | Tribal |
| Eagle Casino & Sports | Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe | Tribal |
| Hard Rock Bet | Hannahville Indian Community (Island Resort) | Tribal |
| bet365 | Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians | Tribal |
Bet365 replaced PokerStars on the Little Traverse Bay license on April 17, 2026. Hard Rock Bet picked up the slot the Hannahville Indian Community vacated when 888 exited the state in late 2025.
The Law
How Online Casinos Are Regulated Here
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the Lawful Internet Gaming Act (Public Act 152 of 2019) and the companion Lawful Sports Betting Act on December 20, 2019. The Michigan Gaming Control Board spent 2020 writing rules and licensing operators, then opened the regulated market at noon on January 22, 2021. Every licensed online casino must partner with one of the three Detroit commercial casinos (MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity, or Hollywood at Greektown) or a federally recognized Michigan tribe.
Michigan taxes online slot and table game revenue on a tiered scale, from 20% at the lowest bracket to 28% for operators grossing more than $12 million a month. Detroit commercial sites pay an extra 1.25% city tax. The state joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement on May 23, 2022. PokerStars merged its Michigan and New Jersey player pools the following year, and BetMGM followed on November 6, 2024.
Tax Structure
The Tier Ladder That Punishes Scale
Michigan does not tax every operator the same way. The state runs a five-step graduated rate keyed to adjusted gross receipts. Every top-five brand here clears the $12 million monthly threshold and pays the full 28 percent at the top. The smallest tribal sites sit two or three steps lower.
- Under $4M
- 20%
- $4M to $8M
- 22%
- $8M to $10M
- 24%
- $10M to $12M
- 26%
- Over $12M
- 28%
How that compares
| State | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 54% slots, 16% tables | Highest iGaming rate in the country. |
| New Jersey | 19.75% flat | Hiked from 15 percent on July 1, 2025. |
| West Virginia | 15% flat | Lowest rate among legal-iGaming states. |
| Connecticut | 18% then 20% | Steps up to 20 percent in 2026. |
Where the Money Goes
Detroit, the School Aid Fund, and the Equine Industry
Every iGaming tax dollar is split by statute. The host city takes 30 percent. The state Internet Gaming Fund takes 65 percent and routes it to problem-gambling treatment, first-responder programs, and the School Aid Fund. The remaining 5 percent backs Michigan's Agriculture Equine Industry Development Fund, an artifact of horse-racing politics that survived into the digital era.
- City of Detroit
- 30%Flows to the host city of the licensed commercial casino. Tribal-partnered operators route the equivalent share through their compact terms.
- Internet Gaming Fund
- 65%Splits between problem-gambling services, the Michigan School Aid Fund, and the General Fund. The 2025 share to the state was $597.5 million.
- Equine Industry Fund
- 5%Funds breed-development programs, racetrack purses, and standardbred and thoroughbred research. Quietly the most unusual line on the iGaming ledger.
State iGaming tax collected, by year
- $201.7M
- $289.2M
- $354.0M
- $451.4M
- $597.5M
State tax to the Internet Gaming Fund only. City and equine allocations sit on top of these figures.
Also Legal
Other Legal Gambling in Michigan
Beyond online casinos, Michigan regulates several other forms of gambling.
Online Sports Betting
Authorized by the same 2019 law as iGaming and live since January 22, 2021. Twelve mobile sportsbooks now operate statewide to anyone 21+, each licensed through a Detroit commercial casino or a Michigan tribe.
Online Poker
Regulated since January 2021. Michigan joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in May 2022, and PokerStars and BetMGM now merge Michigan player pools with New Jersey for bigger cash games and tournaments.
Land-Based Casinos
Three commercial casinos operate in Detroit (MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity, and Hollywood at Greektown), plus roughly two dozen tribal casinos run by 12 federally recognized tribes across the state. Each Detroit casino and several tribes are the brick-and-mortar partners for licensed online brands.
Michigan iLottery
The Michigan Lottery has sold draw and instant games online since 2014, the fourth state to launch an iLottery. Anyone 18 or older inside the state can play, and proceeds fund the School Aid Fund.
Shared Liquidity
Michigan's Three Poker Mergers
Shared poker liquidity does not flip on for the whole market at once. Each operator has to get its merger cleared on its own timeline. Three brands now run Michigan hands into the same lobbies as players in other MSIGA states, and the most recent approval brought a familiar face back under a new owner.
PokerStars launches in Michigan
PokerStars opens the first regulated online poker room in Michigan, partnered with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. Player pool is in-state only.
Michigan signs the MSIGA
MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams signs the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement. Shared liquidity with Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware becomes possible.
PokerStars goes interstate
PokerStars MI/NJ merges player pools. Michigan becomes the first state to enter MSIGA after a five-year gap and the largest market in the compact at the time.
BetMGM Poker joins
The MGCB clears BetMGM to merge its Michigan poker pool with New Jersey, partnered through MGM Grand Detroit. Shared tournaments and cash games go live.
FanDuel takes over the PokerStars brand
MGCB approves FanDuel to run multi-state poker across Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania under the PokerStars brand, with MotorCity Casino as its in-state partner. Standalone PokerStars exits the same day.
MSIGA member states as of May 2026: Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Connecticut and Rhode Island regulate iGaming but have not joined the compact.
FAQ
Michigan Online Casino FAQ
Are online casinos legal in Michigan?
Yes. Real-money online casinos have been legal and regulated since January 22, 2021, licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board under the Lawful Internet Gaming Act of 2019. Every operator partners with a Detroit commercial casino or a federally recognized Michigan tribe.
How old do you have to be to play online casinos in Michigan?
You must be at least 21 and physically located inside Michigan when you play at a licensed online casino. Online lottery and bingo set the minimum at 18, but casino play and sports betting are 21+.
Do I have to live in Michigan to play?
No. Residency isn't required, but geolocation software confirms you are inside state lines every time you play.
Is online poker legal in Michigan?
Yes. Online poker has been regulated since January 2021. Michigan joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in May 2022, and PokerStars and BetMGM merge Michigan player pools with New Jersey for bigger tournaments and cash games.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Michigan?
The MGCB treats unlicensed sweepstakes sites as illegal gambling. Multiple rounds of cease-and-desist letters in 2025 pushed nearly every major sweepstakes operator out of the Michigan market.