Michigan gambling is regulated by the Michigan Penal Code Chapter 750, sections 301 through 315a and the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act (Michigan Complied Laws Chapter 432). Gambling Defined Gambling is defined as accepting money or a valuable thing contingent upon result of a game, race, contest or happening of uncertain event.
For years, officials in Michigan have been working to expand the state’s gambling laws. This week, their efforts have finally paid off. Online gambling in Michigan is now officially legal. It’s extremely exciting for gaming fans here.
That’s not all! Sports gambling has also been made legal in this state. Today, we’re going to look at the road to make this happen. We’ll also talk about exactly what forms of gambling are now legal in this state.
Let’s get into it!
Michigan’s Long Road to Sports Betting, Online Gambling Legalization
Since PASPA was struck down in May of 2018, several politicians in Michigan have stated their desire to see sports betting legalized in the state. It’s a highly profitable industry, helping to earn many states millions of dollars every month. Unfortunately, some of the most powerful politicians in Michigan have been hesitant to embrace any new gambling expansion plans.
Michigan has been close to sports betting legalization several times. In 2018, it was approved by both the House and the Senate, yet Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed the bill at the last minute. It was extremely disappointing news, particularly for sports fans here.
As soon as 2019 kicked off, lawmakers once again began working to legalize new forms of gambling in the state. House Bill 4916 was introduced and eventually made its way through the state’s legislative bodies. In September, the bill was officially approved by Michigan’s House Committee.
Some had concerns that Governor Whitmer would once again shut down this bill at the last minute. She had voiced her concerns over the bill, particularly with its tax structure.
Fortunately, the Governor decided that it was time for Michigan to embrace some new forms of gambling.
Sports Betting and Online Gambling in Michigan Are Now Legal
House Bill 4916 slowly made its way through Michigan’s legislative bodies. This week, the bill had its final test with Governor Whitmer. She decided to approve the bill, meaning both sports betting and online gambling in Michigan are now legal.
Many supporters of this bill believe that the newly-expanded gambling laws will help bring millions of dollars to the state. The majority of the money will go towards the School Aid Fund. Some will be used to help pay for firefighters’ medical costs, as well.
Gretchen Whitmer commented on the approval of the bill to the media this week.
“My top priority in signing this legislation was protecting and investing in the School Aid Fund, because our students deserve leaders who put their education first,” she said. “Thanks in part to the hard work and leadership of Senator Hertel and Representative Warren, these bills will put more dollars in Michigan classrooms and increase funding for firefighters battling cancer.”
An 8.4% tax rate will be applied to sports betting operators in the state. Taxes for online gambling range from 20% to 28%.
Many are now wondering when exactly the new gambling options will become available here.
When Will Sports Betting and Online Gambling Be Available in Michigan?
This is the million-dollar question. Several states legalized sports gambling, yet took months to actually get their sports betting operations up and running. Hopefully, this is not what happens here in Michigan.
Ultimately, it will come down to how long it takes the Michigan Gaming Control Board to set specific regulations on the industry. Of course, there will be different rules for sports betting and online gambling in Michigan.
Once a set of gambling laws are established, lawmakers will need to choose which sports betting companies can operate in the state. Several of the biggest sports betting companies in the UK are now actively working to break into the US market.
Several lawmakers are pushing to have this industry available to the public before March Madness. If it does, the state will likely earn millions of dollars via revenue from the bets placed on the popular NCAA tournament.
Online gambling in Michigan is finally here. If you’re a gambling fan in the state, things just became a lot easier.
Stay tuned for more US online gambling news over the next few months!
The legislative framework of this state’s opinion on placing bets has been full of surprises along the years, having an unsteady view on opening an online casino in Michigan. The struggle for regulation has culminated in a bill that would have allowed online gambling in Michigan. It was an effort that all the best casinos in Michigan stood behind, in an unseen before stance, after clearing all their misunderstandings. The bill was recently repealed, but perhaps the Michigan casinos gave a strong signal to other states who wish to carry on the fight for more permissive legislation on this subject. Anyway, you can play Michigan online slots for real money on offshore RTG casinos USA from our list below.
Best Michigan Online Casino Sites
| Casino | Bonus | Website | Rating | Features | Deposit |
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| 1 | $2000 | 144 voted Review |
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| 2 | $12250 | 129 voted Review |
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| 3 | $12000 | 404 voted Review |
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| 4 | $2500 | 441 voted Review |
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| 5 | $1000 | 229 voted Review |
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| 6 | $7777 | 468 voted Review |
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| 7 | $3000 | 432 voted Review |
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| 8 | $800 | 357 voted Review |
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| 9 | $4000 | 294 voted Review |
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| 10 | $5000 | 348 voted Review |
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Contents
Gambling in Michigan Overview
This state has a truly mixed view on the whole wagering scene, in regards to what is and what isn’t allowed. First of all, the gambling age in Michigan varies from the lowest 18 years old as is the Soaring Eagle age to gamble, for example, to the US generally accepted 21. But this just gets to show, that the law-makers are not that closed minded as other states have.
There are also a high number of Indian casinos in Michigan, but the authorities did not turn a shut-eye to the other type, as well, giving permission to set base, for three commercial casinos in MI.
There is also allowed betting under the form of lottery and charitable gaming. However, there are a few restrictions, pertaining to betting in an online casino Michigan-based, or even to social gaming.
History of the Gambling Expansion
The Michigan gambling laws first appeared around 1930, along with the first horse race tracks. They worked just fine until 1972, which meant the coming to life of the state’s lottery. During the same year, expansion of Michigan gambling has seen the regulation of charitable gaming, with bingo and raffles being on the high-rise.
The first betting venue in Michigan appeared after 1993 after the first agreement with an Indian tribe has been signed. In the years to pass, no more than 19 tribal establishments have opened up, some of them quite impressive, with the number of Four Winds’ or Soaring Eagle’s slots machines to reach a couple of thousand.
Rivalling the Natives for the title of being the best casinos in Michigan, starting 1996, three more establishments have begun their business, as commercial casinos and resorts, all of them around the city of Denver. These MI casinos have paid their dues to the Denver community, them being the main engine to pump revenues in a city known for its monumental collapse. The money received by the state from these venues represented the only salvation from bankruptcy. Under these extreme circumstances, it’s a wonder nobody thought of the revenues that could be received by making Michigan online gambling legal. You can find more information regarding gambling laws in Michigan here.
Online Gambling Michigan
As history on this subject goes, in 1999 there has been a bill claiming Internet was not to be used for gambling, MI is among the few states that have decreed this in the modern Internet-based era. It was repealed the following year. Since then, there haven’t been any other legal specifications regarding the subject at hand. For large venues such as the Soaring Eagle, online real casino games Michigan were a real threat. For smaller locations, like the Huron poker room, with only 6 poker and gaming tables, the legalization of Michigan online poker would represent nothing less than closing down the business.
However, an online poker bill has been in the process of admission since 2016. In the last half of 2018, a sporting betting licensing system has been added to the old bill. Seeing how the best Michigan casinos were very much interested in this sort of business, seeing it as a way to increase profits, they all managed to resolve their conflicts and present a united front in backing the bill. Which in early 2019 has been shut down by the Governor, no explanations added, meaning no MI online casinos for residents, any time soon, no matter how many casinos in Michigan would lobby for it to happen.
For the betting enthusiast, however, there are still a couple of legit Michigan online gambling sites that can be accessed. Although they are offshore based, in order to respect the state’s legal requirements. Being offshore is not an issue if the player follows these simple rules:
- Only plays on safe websites from our MI online casinos list, the ones that hold no risk being on the list of reviewed and recommended online betting services websites.
- Is patient when withdrawing the winnings and uses the specified means to do so. Most of the sites that accept players from MI use credit cards as a withdrawal mean, but sometimes these transactions are blocked by the institutions that have issued these cards. A safer and quicker way would be through the fast-transfer method, meaning MoneyGram or Western Union.
To not worry about your gambling journey, we recommend you to try Bovada casino. Bovada is legal in Michigan and accepts American players. Read our review to know all the needed information.
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Offline Gambling
Land-based casinos
As seen before, stateside, we can find both tribal and commercial establishments. There are 19 Indian casinos Michigan and only 3 of the other kind. But even so, the commercial ones battle the title of the best casino in Michigan with some of the oldest tribal venues. MGM, for instance, has more than 3500 slots, 9 poker tables, and 90 gaming tables, at the customer’s disposal. The number of slot machines at Soaring Eagle casino is indeed lower, only 2700, but it compensates with 14 poker tables, 55 gaming tables, and extra 500 bingo seats.
Some casinos in MI are seen with some sort of gratitude, seeing how they helped save Detroit from complete collapse.
Lottery
Gambling in Michigan couldn’t be complete without the mention of the state’s lottery, going on since 1972. It was also one of the initial states to participate in Mega Millions.
Bingo Halls
Some of the top casinos in Michigan carry on a long time tradition of so-called “millionaire parties” and still put at clients’ disposal a large number of bingo seats. Also, some have eliminated as much as possible the general restrictions. For instance, the minimum required Soaring Eagle age to gamble is of only 18.
Development of the Field
The shock of the beginning of 2019 was the rejection of the Michigan online gambling bill but the work on this is still in progress. And without explaining the reason behind this decision. It was indeed an old bill centred on regulating Michigan online poker, but the real target was to include in the Michigan gambling license system, sports betting. Seeing it as an opportunity to expand the business, rather than fearing the birth of online casinos in Michigan, this bill has gained traction in the final months of last year, being supported by the best Michigan casinos. Being seen at one point as the spark to ignite the relaxing of legislation around the country, it still hasn’t been a success.
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Best Legal Online Casinos
FAQ❓ Is gambling legal in Michigan and how permissive is the state legislation towards gambling?
The laws are relaxed in some aspects, as there are 22 casinos in Michigan and a couple of card rooms. Also, Michigan gambling age starts from 18 in some cases. But it seems to be restrictive in other aspects as is the case with banning Michigan online casinos.
❓ Is it OK to gamble online?
For now, only when using off-shore based websites, as Michigan online casino are still considered illegal. There have been some interesting movements towards reforming the online gambling in Michigan, with most top casinos in Michigan lobbying for it, but, so far it hasn’t come to a favourable conclusion.
❓ Is playing slots online any different than playing in, let's say Soaring Eagle casino?
First of all, it has to be said that the only legit online gambling sites are that based off-shore, some of them accepting US players. Most of the safe ones are in the list of online casino reviews on respectable sites.
Second, the best online casinos sites for real money can equal, if not even top, Soaring Eagle Casino slot payout and not just this particular establishment. They also offer some bonuses and promotions that the land-based venues don’t have in their offer.
On the downside, Soaring Eagle Casino gambling age is of just 18 years old, while for the websites’, it would be best to respect Michigan gambling age of over 21.
❓ Do I win real money if I play in a betting website licensed outside the US?
Yes. And not only that there is real money at stake, but the best casino payouts in Michigan might fall short over the rewards offered by the online casinos with MI-residents acceptance.
❓ Can I gamble if I'm under 21?
Although Soaring Eagle gambling age is of just 18, the legal gambling age in Michigan, the same accepted by all online casinos MI, is of 21 years old.
Are Online Casinos Legal In Michigan State
❓ Will the state review its laws on online gambling?
4 Types Of Online Gambling Expected To Be Legal Soon In Michigan
The Michigan casino laws have suffered a recent blow, while online gambling in Michigan still remains illegal and no opening of an online casino in Michigan State is seen on the horizon.