[MI] Michigan Bingo, Casino and Sports Betting [2021]

Michigan has a lot of gambling action and one of the very few states that has legalized online gambling. The online gambling market is semi regulated.

Online casino activity but can be played at offshore online casinos, with some land based casinos beginning to establish a presence online.

Sports betting is legal and can be offered online by license casino providers. Offshore sports betting sites remain active and available.

Land based gambling options are plenty with over twenty native american casinos and a handful of commercially licensed operators.

The Michigan State Lottery has a monopoly for selling lottery products. Bingo is legal under charitable gaming legislation. Lastly horse racing is permitted.

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Online Gambling

• Michigan State Lottery holds a monopoly on lottery products
• There are three commercial licensed operators located in Detroit
• There are twenty three native American casinos
• Legislation passed for commercial online gaming – casino style games, sports betting, and games of contest.

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Best 5 Michigan Online Casinos

Online casino activity is currently available and offered through various sites that are based offshore. These sites are safe and secure to play at, with no risk posed to Michigan players, both regarding legality or to player data protection.

The best online casinos all use the latest SSL internet technology, and feature secure payment methods that are common, trusted and processed by reputable financial institutions. These include: VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Bitcoin (BTC), direct wire transfers and many other methods.

Casino Bonuses are extremely important in selecting an online casino. We have therefore displayed some of the best casino bonuses that can be found whilst balancing other important criteria such as safety and security as previously mentioned. However, for ease of reference, we have listed them according to the size of bonus.

Without doubt, at the time of writing, El Royale Casino offers the best casino bonus deal. It is also one of the safest. Coupled with excellent customer service, El Royale is our top recommended online casino for Michigan players.

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Michigan Live Dealers

Live Dealers is a term that usually means a physical dealer at a land based casino. However, even at land based casinos such as Greektown Casino, Detroit, their Live Dealers are played through electronic machines. Live Dealers can also be found at Michigan online casinos. The beauty of playing via online casinos is that there are so many Live Dealer options. You can choose between male or female and even ethnicity.

Note: not all online casinos will allow the Welcome Bonus (and other promotional bonuses) to be applied to Live Dealer games. If you intend to select an online casino weighing up casino bonuses applicable to Live Dealer games, please check the Terms and Conditions first.

Detroit Casinos

Detroit is home to three commercial casinos, with no Native American casinos. These three casinos can be considered as medium to large in size, with MotorCity Casino the most popular, followed by MGM Grand Detroit and Greektown Casino. All three, however, have the luxury and grandeur that can be found in the best casinos in Las Vegas.

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Sports Betting

Online sports betting sites, however, do exist and they are based offshore. They accept Michigan bettors, with no precedence of any bettor being informed of a breach in law, let alone charged with a misdemeanor or felony.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is rapidly growing in popularity. New to the gambling scene, it is considered a game of skill by many which requires bettors to create a fictitious team based on real players. The performance of the real sports players in real life determine how successful the fictitious team is. As a result, it truly is those with the most “skills” will win.

The two dominate daily fantasy sports providers is DraftKings and FanDuel. On this site, we do not actively promote daily fantasy sports as we understand that it is a game of “skill” which is being exploited by bettors who have the best risk modelling. That is, it isn’t nearly about how well you know your sport, the sport players etc, it is very much about who has the best statistical model and who has access to the most detailed sports player data.

As someone who may be a big fan of sport, and thinking that they would have a good chance of winning money in DFS, think again. You are pitted against statistical modelling experts who deliberately target games that mostly have new players to DFS. In fact, it has been alleged that those who are extremely good at DFS have been known to collaborate among themselves and not compete with each other. Thereby creating a sustainable winning formula shared by the experts.

We therefore want our readers to be aware that DFS is not what is appears to be. In fairness, DFS is legal in Michigan and many DFS onshore operators accept Michigan players.

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Top 3 Michigan Online Bingo Sites

Michigan Bingo Legality

Michigan bingo laws are stipulated under Charitable gaming state legislation. These laws provide for the licensing of non profit organizations to operate bingo games. At present, these laws do not address nor permit online bingo by onshore operators. Accordingly, online bingo sites that do accept Michigan players are based offshore (which is the same as online casinos and sports betting sites).

The recommended online bingo sites all accept players from Michigan. They offer advanced features that include instant messaging, fun bingo games and protocols that ensures bingo participants play together in a civil enjoyable manner. Due to the social aspect of bingo, there is a cultural aspect to bingo which cannot be found with casino or sports betting. As an example, A LOT of acronyms form part of instant chat messaging. If you are not familiar with online bingo lingo, do not be afraid, learning it is one of the most fun parts!

Gambling Laws

• The Gaming Control & Revenue Act 1996 authorizes up to three commercial casinos to be located in the City of Detroit
• Pari-mutuel horse race betting is permitted within the market
• State law does not prohibit online gambling but does prohibit onshore online operators from operating within the market
• Charitable gaming is authorized for licensed charitable organizations, which may provide Millionaire Parties, bingo and poker tournaments

Legal Minimum Gambling Age

• Casinos in Detroit have a minimum gambling age of 21
• The gambling age ranges for lottery products and horse race betting is 21
• Native American Tribes are permitted to establish their own minimum gambling age, subject to the minimum age of 18

Gambling Taxes

• Commercial casino activity is taxed at 19% of gross gaming revenue
• Live horse-race wagering is not taxed however simulcast wagering is taxed at 3.5% of turnover
• The surplus from the State Lottery is circulated to educational purposes

Regulation and Governance

• Michigan Gaming Control Board
• Michigan Bureau of State Lottery
• Office of Racing

Gambling Legislation

Michigan Gaming Control & Revenue Act 1996

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Michigan Gambling Market Developments

Background

The Gaming Control Board oversees the operation of Native American casinos; a total of 12 federally acknowledged Indian Tribes operate 23 casinos within the State;

Michigan State Lottery launched online products in 2013.

Numerous attempts to regulate slots activity and VLT’s at racetracks were launched, none of which were successful.

May 2014

The revised charity gaming regulations for Millionaire Parties took effect, to follow the passing of the Bill that sought to ease regulations on charitable gambling.

February 2015

Two bills were introduced, that would require, the State Lottery Commissioner, to take bids from private organisations to manage the State Lottery, but the legislation, would not obligate the Commissioner to accept the bids. State Representative, Earl Poleski, RJackson, on 27 January 2015, introduced HB077, which was referred to the House Commerce & Trade Committee. State Senator Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, introduced SB75, on 3 February 2015 and has been referred to the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee. The State lottery employs 170 state-workers whose jobs would be privatised, should either of these bills be passed.

February 2016

The State Lottery expanded their online and mobile services through a partnership with NeoPollard Online. The deal allowed the lottery to begin providing a number of games, including Mega Millions and Powerball through their online platform.

April 2016

Senator Mike Kowall introduced a bill to the Senate, to authorize and regulate online gaming in the state. SB889, to be known as the Lawful Internet Gaming Act, proposes the establishment of a Division of Internet Gaming to provide for licensing and regulation of the industry. Only operators of land-based casinos and federally recognized Michigan Indian tribes who operate gaming facilities in the state may apply for a license. Initial license application fees will be charged at $100k and tax rates are proposed at 10% of gross gaming revenue.

May 2016

The Senate Regulatory Reform Committee held a hearing to consider Senator Kowall’s Lawful Internet Gaming Act. A number of legislators including Kowall, provided testimonies centered around consumer protection issues, industry representatives also spoke to highlight methods of preventing gambling related harm.

September 2016

House Representative, Aaron Miller, introduced HB5849 to amend the Michigan Penal Code, to specifically exempt daily fantasy sports from the definition of gambling provided the prize or purse is $3k or less. The bill was referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

October 2016

Instant Win Gaming agreed a deal with the State Lottery to integrate its remote gaming server with the lottery’s online platform. Lottery customers can now access IWG’s entire library of instant lottery games via the Michigan Lottery site.

January 2017

State Representative Robert Kosowski introduced a bill to authorize sports betting in licensed casinos and direct the Gaming Control Board to promulgate the necessary regulations to govern the industry. If passed, HB060 would put the question of whether to permit sports betting on the next general election ballot.

February 2017

State Representative Robert Kosowski introduced a bill to permit land-based casino operators to accept parlay wagers on sporting events provided state voters approve of the proposal. HB4261 directs the gaming Control Board to develop the necessary regulations and oversee the operation of the industry. The bill was referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform for consideration.

March 2017

Senator Mike Kowall re-introduced legislation to authorize and regulate online gaming in the state. The bill (SB203) proposes to regulate the industry in the same way as the Senator’s previous bill, SB 889 (the Lawful Internet Gaming Act) which was introduced in April 2016 but failed to pass the Senate. SB203 was referred to the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee for consideration.

April 2017

The House passed legislation to remove certain restrictions on charitable casino-style gaming events. HB4081 proposes a number of changes to charitable gaming legislation to maximize the revenue generated for charities by “millionaire parities” including increasing the limit on chip sales from $15k to $20k per day. The bill progressed to the Senate for consideration.

May 2017

House Representative Dan Lauwers introduced legislation to authorize advance deposit wagering on horse racing. HB4611 would provide for third party facilitator licenses for operators to offer wagering on live and simulcast racing by electronic communication such as telephone or on-line connection. The bill was passed by the Committee on Agriculture and progressed to the House for consideration.

June 2017

A number of representatives introduced a bill to authorize and regulate daily fantasy sports. HB4743 proposed an initial license fee of $5k with an annual renewal fee of $1k and set out a range of consumer protection measures. The bill was referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform for consideration.

September 2017

Representative Brandt Iden introduced a bill to authorize and regulate online gaming. HB4926 would allow commercial and tribal casino operators licensed in the state to offer online gaming and would establish the Division of Internet Gaming to govern the industry. The bill proposed a gross win tax of 8% and an initial license fee of $200k for the first year and $100k each year thereafter.

December 2017

The House Regulatory Reform Committee amended online gaming bill, HB4926, to authorize online sports betting provided Federal prohibition was repealed. The bill progressed to the House floor for consideration.

June 2018

The House of Representatives passed HB4926 with a majority vote 68-40. The Bill would authorize and regulate online gaming. It has been sent to the Senate for consideration.

August 2018

The Michigan State Lottery awarded a ten (10) Year contract (2021 to 2031) extension to IGT (IGT Global Solutions) to provide new technology / ongoing services. Included will be the replacement of the 11,550 terminals and the provision of 2,100 GameTouch selfservice machines.

October 2018

The Michigan State Lottery awarded a four (4) year contract (2018 to 2022) extension to NeoPollard Online to continue supplying and managing the lottery’s online platform and games.

December 2018

The Senate passed HB4926 to authorize and regulate online gaming. The bill also included language to legalize sports betting in the state and was sent to the Governor for final approval;

Governor Rick Snyder vetoed HB4926 to authorize and regulate online gaming and legalize sports betting in the state.

February 2019

The Michigan State Lottery launched an instant-virtual football game, Endzone Payout, supplied by IWG and Inspired Gaming. The sports-themed virtual scratch ticket uses a video clip of a single football play to reveal the outcome of a symbol match lottery game. Michigan lottery was the first to roll out the new vertical within the United States of America.

March 2019

Representative Brandt Iden reintroduced legislation to authorize and regulate online gaming and sports betting. HB4311 would allow commercial and tribal casino operators licensed in the state to offer online gaming and betting and would establish the Division of Internet Gaming to govern the industry. The bill proposed a gross win tax of 8% with an additional 1.25% for commercial operators in Detroit and an initial license fee of $200k for the first year and $100k each year thereafter.

September 2019

Representative Brandt Iden introduced legislation to authorize and regulate land-based and online sports betting. HB4916 would authorize commercial and tribal casino operators to offer online and betting and proposed an 8% gross win tax on the activity. The bill would limit operators to one (1) online sports betting skin and specifically prohibits the state lottery from offering bets. In order for the bill to be enacted the legislature must first pass legislation to permit online gambling in the state.

October 2019

Representative Brandt Iden’s amended betting bill was passed by the state chamber’s Ways and Means Committee by a 10-1 count and will now go to a full House vote. The main amendment to the bill was the proposed rise in the tax rate for sports betting to 8.75% from 8% at the state’s 23 tribal casinos and 12% at three casinos in Detroit to take account of the 3.25% city tax. The bill has been opposed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration, which demanded tax rates of 40% for online gaming and 15% for sports betting that would be redirected towards public education funding. The proposed tax rates for online gaming would be set to a tiered system ranging from 4% to 23% based on revenue. The highest range would increase to 26.25% for Detroit casinos, because of the city tax.

December 2019

A package of bills that included sports betting and online gambling regulation were heard by Michigan’s Senate Regulatory Reform Committee, with sponsors hoping they could pass before the end of the year.

The House and Senate approved legislation to authorize and regulate online gaming as well as retail and online sports betting. Both bills were sent to the governor to be signed into law:

Online gaming bill, H4311, would permit the state’s three (3) commercial casinos and 23 tribal casinos to offer online slots, table games and poker via two (2) skins – one for poker and one for slots and tables. The final version of the bill set a tiered tax system which starts at 20% of gross win up to $4m and increases to 28% of gross win over $12m. The three Detroit based commercial casinos would also be liable to and additional city tax at an effective rate of 3.25% of gross win.

Sports betting bill, H4916, would permit the state’s three (3) commercial casinos and 23 tribal casinos to offer retail and online sports betting. The casinos may only operate one (1) online poker brand and one (1) online casino brand. The final version of the bill set the tax rate at 8.4% of gross win plus the 3.25% city tax for the commercial casinos;

Governor Whitmer’s office announced its approval of the increased tax rates included in the final bills and is highly likely both will be signed into law

On 20 December 2019, Governor Whitmer signed legislation to legalize online gaming, sports betting and daily fantasy sports in the state. Whilst no formal launch date target has been announced, initial expectation is for the regulated markets to launch towards the end of Q1 2020, provided the licensing procedure begins promptly.

January 2020

The Stars Group has entered into an agreement with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authority (Odawa) to operate real-money online betting, poker and casino in Michigan, subject to license availability, state law and regulatory approvals.

Odawa operates two (2) casinos in Michigan and will receive a revenue share from The Stars Group; The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) believes that it will take ‘about a year’ to complete the rule-making process for mobile sports wagering and online casino, which suggests that the launch date for the market would be during Q1 2021.

March 2020

The Gaming Control Board announced retail sports betting was scheduled to be launched at the state’s three (3) Detroit casinos on 11 March 2020;
The MGM Grand and Greektown Casinos in Detroit launched retail sportsbooks on 11 March 2020.

May 2020

The Gaming Control Board approved regulations to permit advanced deposit wagering (ADW) in the state and began the licensing process for prospective operators. The regulations allow operators to offer online peri-mutual betting on horse races from all US race tracks to customers in the state.

June 2020

Legislators introduced a bill to expedite the launch of the state’s online gaming market.

The bill, SB969, would permit operators already licensed in other states to launch their online casino and poker sites prior to being granted a full license in Michigan. However, the state would first be required to develop and implement the detailed regulations to govern the online market before activity could commence. It was unclear at this time to what extent the measure would bring forward the launch if passed.

July 2020

The Gaming Control Board began launched the licensing process for prospective online gaming and sports betting operators. The Board announced it had expedited the regulatory timeline and, as a result, brought forward the earliest possible launch date of both products to mid-October.

August 2020

The Fire Keepers Casino launched its retail sports book on 20 August 2020 in partnership with Scientific Games. The tribal casino is operated by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribe.

September 2020

The Michigan Gaming Control Board has scheduled a public consultation on 23 September for feedback on the latest draft rules for operators for online poker, casino and sports betting. The target was initially to launch the new products in mid-2021, but that has been fast-tracked, and the state is aiming to launch online gambling by the end of the year.