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Contents
Gambling has always been prevalent in the state of Michigan. It was first legalized in the 1930s, during the famous Great Depression. Since then, it has become a big part of the overall culture of the state, which is especially true for horse racing, as this form of gambling was the first to be legalized and the first to gain popularity.
Now, almost a century later, online gambling has become the norm of the entire world of gambling for Michiganders, in the same way it has been for players worldwide. Fortunately for the state’s casino players, online casinos are now fully legal, but as the law is still fairly new, there’s a lot a player like you needs to know. Let’s take a look.
Top 5 Michigan Online Casinos
Here is a list of our top 5 recommended online casino sites to play at for real money from Michigan.
Is Online Gambling Legal in Michigan?
The short answer is yes. Online casinos and online poker games were legalized in the state of Michigan on December 20, 2019. The so-called Lawful Internet Gaming Act, or House Bill No. 4311, has effectively legalized all forms of online gambling, making online casinos fully legal. The only prohibitions in force are that operators can have a single online skin and that the casinos cannot offer multi-state games.
However, as the law is still fairly new, it hasn’t become fully effective yet. In essence, it’s still necessary for the regulators to put the legislation into practice. Then, casino operators need to apply and receive proper licensing for their gambling offers. After that, they need to build up the virtual infrastructure to comply with the state’s laws.
For all these reasons, online gambling is legal in the state, but it hasn’t gone live for players. It is expected that the first online gambling options will become available to Michigan-based players in the second part of 2020.
Additionally, it is currently estimated that online gambling will become fully available to Michigan-based players in 2021.
Naturally, until online casinos become fully available, you can gamble in other ways. At the moment, Michiganders can still play and enjoy off-track betting and online lottery. You can also play in offshore online casinos that unfortunately are not legal, but they are not illegal either. That’s because the state doesn’t prosecute Michigan-based players for using an offshore casino. What’s more, players from Michigan play in these casinos all the time without any problems, be them legal or of any other kind.
Land-Based Casino Options in Michigan
Land-based casinos have been legal in Michigan for a long time and, currently, you have the option to play in a total of 26 casinos — 23 tribal and 3 commercial. There, you can enjoy a wide variety of casino games like slots, table games, and many more.
Naturally, with the legalization of online gambling, all these casinos can apply for licenses to start offering virtual casino games. What’s more, chances for this are very high, because Michigan includes tribal casinos in the state’s casino licensing regulations. However, this is not the case with most of Michigan’s counterparts in the United States. Although they allow online casinos, the majority of other states allow only commercial casinos to apply for online gambling licenses.
By the time operators get licenses for online gambling in Michigan under the 2019 law, they will belong to these land-based casinos. That’s because only existing Michigan casinos can apply for online gambling licenses. As for other operators, the current law doesn’t allow them to apply.
Out of the many land-based casinos, we picked a few that are the best in the state.
Soaring Eagle Casino Resort
Soaring Eagle is both a hotel and a casino, located in the Isabella Indian Reservation near Mount Pleasant. It was fully renovated in 2018 and now offers many table games like roulette, crap, blackjack, poker, and more. Naturally, you can also play on numerous slot machines spread throughout this 200,000 sq. ft complex.
MGM Grand Detroit
Best Michigan Casinos Las Vegas
The MGM casino belongs to the famous MGM Grand group that owns a total of 13 major properties, including the famous Luxor Las Vegas complex. More importantly, at the MGM Grand casino in Detroit, you can play over 150 table games and 3,500 slots.
FireKeepers Casino
This massive casino and hotel complex is located in the Emmett Charter Township. It’s owned and operated by a Potawatomi tribe. If you ever find yourself in the casino, you’ll be able to play more than 2,900 slots and 76 table games that include baccarat, blackjack, roulette, and many others.
Other Gambling Options in Michigan
As we’ve stated in the beginning, gambling is very popular in Michigan, which naturally means that there are other forms of gambling in the state, not only casino games.
Horse racing is still fairly popular in the state; however, nowadays there is only one racetrack called Northville Downs. It offers adults the possibility to gamble on both live and simulcast racing.
The Michigan State Lottery provides a lottery to the state’s players. Many options are available, including instant cash, pull tabs, keno, lottery draws, second-chance games, and scratch cards. On top of that, the state participates in interstate draws like the Mega Millions lottery.
In the end, there is also bingo and, most importantly, sports betting that has become legal in 2019, together with online gambling.
The Future of Online Gambling in Michigan
With the latest online gambling law from 2019, we can safely say that the future of online gambling in Michigan is extremely bright. The online infrastructure is still not there, as it takes time for operators to apply and obtain licenses. Still, we can expect a wide range of Michigan-based online casinos to be fully established during 2021.
You can expect operators to quickly jump on the bandwagon, as all of them will want to get established before the competition, so the future of Michigan online gambling is assured.
Summary
As you can see, with the online gambling law from 2019, Michigan became one of the many states in the US that permits online casinos to operate within the state. Players will soon have the chance to enjoy numerous casino games in Michigan-based sites, not only in offshore and land-based casinos.
Thanks to the fact that tribal casinos have a chance to open online casinos, you can expect many online casinos to pop up fairly soon.
FAQ
At this point, only an online lottery is available to Michiganders. However, with online gambling legalized, online sports betting and online casino games will also become available very soon.
You can, as soon as the first online casinos open in the state. For now, you can only enjoy state-run online lotteries or opt to play in offshore online casinos.
Sports betting has already gone live in a handful of land-based casinos. As for online casino games, we can only make predictions. Two up casino login. The first online casinos will likely appear in 2020, but the more probable date is somewhere in 2021.
You can, as online poker was legalized in 2019, along with most other online casino games. However, you still have to wait for casinos to start offering online poker.
Any person who is at least 21 years old can gamble online in the state of Michigan.
Introduction to Michigan Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Michigan slot machine casino gambling consists of three commercial casinos in Detroit and 23 tribal casinos throughout the state. Caesars Windsor is also nearby, just across the border from Detroit in the Canadian Province of Ontario.
Detroit’s commercial casinos have a minimum theoretical payout, while tribal casinos have none. Neither type of Michigan casino has return statistics publicly available.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Michigan*
The minimum legal gambling age in Michigan depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 18/21
- Poker Rooms: 18
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
The minimum legal age for gambling is 21 if the casino serves alcohol. Further, the minimum legal age for gambling at Caesars Windsor is 19 years old. Be aware that, at Caesars Windsor in Canada, all bets and winnings are in Canadian currency.
In 1996, Michigan voters approved three licensed casinos for Detroit via the Michigan Gaming Control & Revenue Act.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Michigan
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in Michigan if it is 25 years old or older.
Gaming Control Board in Michigan
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) within the Michigan Department of Treasury regulates commercial casinos in Detroit. Further, the MGCB provides compliance oversight authority for tribal-state compacts with Michigan’s federally-recognized tribes.
Federally-recognized American Indian tribes are sovereign nations. As such, the State of Michigan does not have general regulatory authority over tribal casinos, although the state has oversight authority of compliance with state-tribal compact provisions.
Instead, through the federal IGRA of 1988, Michigan’s tribes have tribal-gaming compacts in place to allow Class III games-of-chance slot machines. Therefore, the National Indian Gaming Commission and each tribal government regulate Michigan’s tribal casinos.
Otherwise, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), a crown agency of Canada, and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) regulates gaming at Caesars Windsor in Canada.
Casinos in Michigan
There are three commercial casinos and 23 tribal casinos in Michigan.
The largest casino in Michigan is MGM Grand Detroit with 3,500 gaming machines.
The second-largest casino is Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort with 3,330 gaming machines.
Commercial Casinos in Michigan
Detroit’s commercial casinos, including the popular Caesars Windsor in Canada, include:
- Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino across the Canadian border from Detroit in Windsor, Ontario.
Tribal Casinos in Michigan
Michigan has tribal-state compacts with 12 American Indian tribes, which have produced 23 tribal casinos. At the end of 2017, these tribal casinos had a total of 21,976 Class III, Vegas-style gaming machines. Maryland live giant jackpot winners.
Tribal casinos in Michigan are a thriving business, and many major expansion projects are underway throughout the state. This is especially true for casinos in northern Michigan.
Michigan 23 tribal casinos are:
- Bay Mills Resort & Casinos in Brimley located in the upper peninsula 53 miles north of Mackinaw City
- FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek located 113 miles west of Detroit
- Four Winds Casinos Dowagiac located 21 miles north of South Bend, Indiana near the Indiana border
- Four Winds Casinos Hartford located 50 miles north of South Bend, Indiana
- Four Winds Casinos New Buffalo located 34 miles northwest of South Bend, Indiana near the Indiana border and Lake Michigan
- Gun Lake Casino in Wayland located 172 miles west of Mackinaw City
- Island Resort Casino in Harris located in the upper peninsula 160 miles west of Mackinaw City
- Kewadin Casinos Christmas in Munising located in the upper peninsula 129 miles northwest of Mackinaw City on Lake Superior
- Kewadin Casinos Hessel located in the upper peninsula 41 miles northeast of Mackinaw City
- Kewadin Casinos Manistique located in the upper peninsula 89 miles west of Mackinaw City
- Kewadin Casinos Sault Ste. Marie located in the upper peninsula 59 miles north of Mackinaw City on the Canadian border
- Kewadin Casinos St. Ignace located in the upper peninsula 12 miles north of Mackinaw City
- Kings Club Casino in Brimley located in the upper peninsula 56 miles north of Mackinaw City
- Leelanau Sands Casino & Lodge in Peshawbestown located in the lower peninsula 20 miles north of Traverse City
- Little River Casino Resort in Manistee located in the lower peninsula 58 miles southwest of Traverse City
- Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet located in the upper peninsula 268 miles west of Mackinaw City near the Wisconsin border
- Odawa Casino Resort in Petoskey located in the lower peninsula 38 miles south-southwest of Mackinaw City
- Odawa Casino Mackinaw located in Mackinaw City
- Ojibwa Casino Marquette located in the upper peninsula 158 miles northwest of Mackinaw City on Lake Superior
- Ojibwa Casino Baraga located in the upper peninsula 239 miles northwest of Mackinaw City on Lake Superior
- Saganing Eagles Landing Casino & Hotel in Standish located in the lower peninsula 158 miles south-southeast of Mackinaw City on Lake Huron
- Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant located in the lower peninsula 157 miles northwest of Detroit
- Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel in Williamsburg located in the lower peninsula 11 miles east of Traverse City
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Michigan slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Michigan is:
- North and East: The Canadian Province of Ontario
- South: Indiana Slots and Ohio Slots
- West: Minnesota Slots and, across Lake Michigan, Illinois Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Michigan.
Our Michigan Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Michigan? If so, join our new Michigan slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Michigan. Join us!
Payout Returns in Michigan
Four Winds Casino
Detroit’s commercial casinos have a minimum theoretical payout of 80%. In addition, they have a maximum theoretical payout of 100% unless otherwise approved by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
Further, Class II skill-based electronic gaming machines at non-tribal casinos also have these payout limits when played perfectly. Return statistics from Detroit’s casinos are not publicly available. Registering games online.
Otherwise, there are no payout limits for Class III Vegas-style, games-of-chance slot machines at Michigan’s tribal casinos nor are return statistics made publicly available.
Finally, Canadian casinos in Ontario such as Caesars Windsor have a minimum theoretical payout of 85% and a maximum theoretical payout of 99.1% for Class III Vegas-style games-of-chance. However, Class II competition-style games-of-skill machines such as video poker have a minimum theoretical payout of 88%.
According to their OLG gaming control board from their Slots Brochure, Canadian casinos in the Province of Ontario have a single return statistic: Their average return is 91.8%.
Summary of Michigan Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Casinos In Michigan With Hotels
Michigan slot machine casino gambling consists of three casinos in Detroit and 23 tribal casinos throughout the state. Otherwise, Caesars Windsor in Canada, across the border from Detroit, is a popular casino destination.
Casinos in Detroit have a theoretical payout between 80% and 100%. Michigan’s tribal casinos do not have any theoretical payout limits for Class III slots. No return statistics are publicly available from Michigan’s casinos.
Annual Progress in Michigan Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Over the last year, there has been little change to the slots gaming industry in Michigan.
Related Articles from Professor Slots
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
- Previous: Massachusetts Slot Machine Casino Gambling
- Next: Minnesota Slot Machine Casino Gambling
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Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC