Michigan Gambling

Michigan is extremely friendly to gambling. There is virtually every form of gambling imaginable in the state. This includes several forms offered over the Internet.

Michigan Horse Racing

Horseracing was the first form of legalized gambling in Michigan. The state was home to five tracks just last decade. That number is down to two in 2016. The only racetracks that still operate in Michigan are Hazel Park Raceway and Northville Downs. Both are located north of the Detroit metropolitan area. These two racetracks offer live seasonal racing. Both offer off-track betting parlors. The tracks do not offer online betting.

Michigan Lottery

The Michigan Lottery is one of the most successful in the country. It sells scratch-off tickets and lotto drawings. The lotto drawings involve ones specific to Michigan as well as interstate drawings. This includes Powerball and Mega Millions.

The Michigan Lottery became the first to sell virtual lottery tickets. These mimic slot machines. Lotto ticket sales and instant keno games are also available on the Michigan Lottery’s website. Players must be located in Michigan to purchase online lottery tickets, internet instant games and keno.

North Dakota licenses Bet America which accepts legal online wagers for horse racing, dog racing and fantasy sports. This is legal for residents of this state (please read their terms and conditions to ensure this has not changed).

Michigan Online Gambling

The Michigan Lottery’s products described above are not the only form of legalized gambling in the state. Off-track horseracing is legal over the internet. This includes bets at sites like TVG, TwinSpires and BetAmerica. These companies also offer mobile apps on the Android and iOS platforms.

The biggest daily fantasy sports sites operate in Michigan. This includes DraftKings and FanDuel. Some smaller sites avoid Michigan due to the wording of the state’s skill game law. There is some discussion about the legality of daily fantasy sports in Michigan. Richard Kalm, executive director of the state’s gaming control board, feels that the daily fantasy sports industry is illegal in Michigan. There is a DFS bill pending in the state legislature.

Numerous online poker, casino and sports betting sites accept players from Michigan. These businesses are not licensed to operate in the state. Players should be aware of this and the lack of a dispute resolution process before depositing. There are risks that players can get cheated and winners not get paid.

Michigan Casinos

Michigan permits commercial casinos in Detroit. There are three in the city. They are MotorCity Casino, Greektown Casino and MGM Detroit. These casinos were legalized to compete with Casino Windsor just across the border in Ontario, which later became known as Harrah’s Windsor. A wide offering of casino games are available. This includes slots, video poker, live poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and house-banked poker games.

There are more than 20 reservation casinos in Michigan. In addition to the permissible games at Detroit casinos, tribes may offer commercial bingo.

Michigan Charitable Gaming
Charities are permitted to spread bingo, poker tournaments, raffles and casino nights.

Online gaming works — it’s been licensed in Europe for years, and it’s been licensed in New Jersey, Nevada, and in Delaware. If you are a resident of Michigan, don’t just sit there — make your voice heard.