Skip to content
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.

Latest Updates

  1. Michigan online casinos won $303.4 million in April

    Michigan's 15 internet casinos generated $303.4 million in gross receipts in April, the Michigan Gaming Control Board reported May 19. Revenue rose 22.3% from $248.1 million in April 2025 and ranked as the state's third-highest iGaming month on record.

    Combined with online sports betting, regulated operators reported $371 million in total April revenue. The state collected $60.7 million in iGaming tax for April, and another $22.2 million went to Detroit and other local jurisdictions.

    Only March 2026 ($322.1 million) and December 2025 ($315.8 million) have produced higher monthly iGaming totals for Michigan. The state trails only New Jersey and Pennsylvania for US online casino size.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

Top three US states by 2025 iGaming gross receipts, with population and per-resident figures.
#State2025 iGamingPopulationPer resident
1Pennsylvania$3.46B13.0M$266
2Michigan$3.09B10.0M$309
3New Jersey$2.91B9.5M$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 to partner, approved by the MGCB
BrandPartnerType
BetMGM CasinoMGM Grand DetroitCommercial
FanDuel CasinoMotorCity CasinoCommercial
Hollywood CasinoHollywood Casino at GreektownCommercial
DraftKings CasinoBay Mills Indian CommunityTribal
Caesars Palace OnlineSault Ste. Marie Tribe (Kewadin)Tribal
BetRivers CasinoLittle River Band of Ottawa IndiansTribal
Golden Nugget OnlineKeweenaw Bay Indian CommunityTribal
betPARX / Play Gun LakeMatch-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band (Gun Lake)Tribal
FireKeepers iCasinoNottawaseppi Huron Band of PotawatomiTribal
Four Winds OnlinePokagon Band of PotawatomiTribal
Eagle Casino & SportsSaginaw Chippewa Indian TribeTribal
Hard Rock BetHannahville Indian Community (Island Resort)Tribal
bet365Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa IndiansTribal

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%

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.

How that compares

iGaming tax rates across other legal-iGaming states.
StateRateNote
Pennsylvania54% slots, 16% tablesHighest iGaming rate in the country.
New Jersey19.75% flatHiked from 15 percent on July 1, 2025.
West Virginia15% flatLowest rate among legal-iGaming states.
Connecticut18% 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.

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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.