Michigan Online Sports Betting

Michigan is one of the most exciting inclusions to the legal U.S. sports betting market. The Wolverine State already has a mature gambling culture, featuring more than 20 land-based casinos, and the launch of online betting has only accentuated that.

Sports betting and online casino games became legal in Michigan in December 2019. The state has a large base of sports fans, as some big-time college teams are located in the state. The Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans are two of the most prominent programs in college football and basketball.

At the pro level, the Detroit Lions (NFL), Detroit Pistons (NBA), Detroit Tigers (MLB), and Detroit Red Wings (NHL) play in each of the major leagues. Michigan is also the 10th-most populated state, making it an ideal state for sports betting.

The first sports retail bets in Michigan were made on March 11, 2020, at two of the state’s commercial casinos in Detroit: MGM Grand Detroit and Greektown Casino Hotel. Online wagering officially began on January 22, 2025.

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Online Michigan sportsbooks, partners

After a long wait, Michigan online sports betting finally crossed the finish line on January 22, 2025. Multiple well-known online bookmakers were active on Day 1 accepting legal wagers.

While retail sportsbooks opened their doors in March, regulators initially said that online was unlikely to arrive until 2025. Due to COVID-19 and the increasing need for socially distanced betting options and tax revenues to offset budget shortfalls, the state actively pursued an expedited rollout. Ultimately though, the 2025 estimate was right on target resulting in a January launch.

Michigan online sportsbooks: The books

When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed HB 4916 into law, online sports betting was legalized and the door was opened for both Michigan commercial casinos and federally recognized tribes to apply for licenses to operate sportsbooks, both in person and online. A number of sites have now seen the process through to the finish line and are accepting online bets today.

A closer look at the books, brands

The law allows each of Michigan’s three commercial casinos and twelve federally recognized tribes to host one sports betting skin, meaning one online brand, similar to Pennsylvania. Other states like New Jersey, West Virginia, and Indiana allow for three each. Despite permitting just one skin each, Michigan does not have a shortage of online operators. There are plenty of excellent choices.

BetMGM

MGM offers sports betting to Michiganders through its BetMGM product because it owns and operates MGM Grand Detroit. In July 2018, a joint venture between MGM Resorts International GVC Holdings was announced, with the goal to create a sports betting and gaming platform. Through the joint venture, Roar Digital was formed. Roar Digital has now launched the BetMGM product for sports betting in Michigan.

BetMGM accepted legal bets on the first day of both retail wagering, March 11, 2020, and online wagering, January 22, 2025.

BetRivers

BetRivers is really making a name for themselves in the legal and regulated online sportsbook and casino market in the U.S., as they have set up shop in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Colorado and Illinois. We expect BetRivers to be one of the first to launch in Michigan, just as they have been in every other new market.

Bet Rivers has partnered with Little River Casino Resort and will be running both their online sportsbook and online casino when all go live.

FanDuel Sportsbook

Through its partnership with MotorCity Casino Hotel, FanDuel Sportsbook is now available to Michigan sports bettors. FanDuel currently operates the two-story retail sportsbook at the casino launched mobile and online betting in January 2025. FanDuel is always a market leader, as it has illustrated in other states with regulated betting.

PointsBet

PointsBet has a 20-year partnership in place with the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Through the partnership, PointsBet operates both an online sportsbook and online casino in Michigan. The tribe holds the Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet, where PointsBet plans to open a retail sportsbook.

One of the more attractive features from PointsBet is “Pointsbetting.” Pointsbetting is a unique take on sports betting that rewards bettors with a bigger win the more they are right. But, the opposite can happen, too. The more a bettor is wrong, the more he or she can lose on a wager. Depending on how much your bet wins or loses, your wager will be adjusted by a multiplier.

DraftKings

In June 2020 DraftKings announced that it would be entering the Michigan online sports betting market through a partnership with the Bay Mills Resort & Casino. DraftKings will also provide a retail sportsbook experience on site at the Brimley location. The world’s largest Daily Fantasy Sports operator, DraftKings has successfully broadened its reach and established itself as a sports betting titan. It, along with a few other sportsbooks, helped open the state’s online betting market in January 2025.

Caesars Sportsbook 

Caesars Sportsbook gained entry into Michigan through its partnership with Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. In Michigan, the tribe owns and operates the Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown, the Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel in Williamsburg, and the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme Township. The partnership should see Caesars operate retail sportsbooks at the tribe’s casino properties, in addition to handling mobile and online sports betting for the tribe.

Parx

Pennsylvania’s leading casino operator has touched down in Michigan. Parx announced its agreement with Gun Lake Casino (and tribe) in March 2020. In addition to a brick-and-mortar sportsbook at Gun Lake in Wayland, the company’s Parx online sportsbook is now accepting online wagers.

Barstool Sportsbook

Penn National Gaming purchased a minority stake of 36% in Barstool Sports in January 2020, and Penn National Gaming operates the Greektown Casino Hotel in Detroit. Add two and two together and wa-la, Barstool Sportsbook is now live in the state of Michigan. Barstool founder Dave Portnoy attended the University of Michigan, and was always going to compete for top billing in the state.

TwinSpires

TwinSpires, formerly known as BetAmerica, is the online and retail sports betting face of Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) and have partnered with the Island Resort and Casino in Harris to run both their online and retail sports betting in the state. TwinSpires began accepting legal Michigan sports bets in January 2025.

Golden Nugget

Golden Nugget, which has partnered with both the Ojibwa Casino Baraga and Ojibwa Casino Marquette, has not been as active in the regulated iGaming space as you might expect. Until now, New Jersey was its lone home. Golden Nugget now offers online sports betting and iCasino in Michigan. The brick-and-mortar casinos are located on the Upper Peninsula.

WynnBET

Familiar name, new sportsbook. The WynnBET online sportsbook made it to Michigan on day 1 of online service, accepting its first bets in the sate on January 22, 2025. While there’s no website, the mobile betting app offers an excellent online wagering experience. The prominent Vegas brand is partnered with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, who maintain several Kewadin Casino properties on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

FOX Bet

The Stars Group, operators of FOX Bet, partnered with Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authority to gain market access in Michigan. The agreement granted The Stars Group market access via a skin. The Stars Group offers online sports betting, poker, and casino in Michigan, with FOX Bet serving as the sports betting arm, offering a Fox Bet Bonus Code. The tribe operates the Odawa Casino Resort in Petoskey.

Other sportsbooks that are likely to seek entry into Michigan include the following:

• Bet365
• theScore Bet
• Unibet

Michigan casinos — full list

Tribal casinos in Michigan (with location) include:

• Bay Mills Resort & Casino (Brimley)
• FireKeepers Casino Hotel (Battle Creek)
• Four Winds New Buffalo (New Buffalo)
• Four Winds Hartford (Hartford)
• Four Winds Dowagiac (Dowagiac)
• Island Resort & Casino (Bark River)
• Kewadin Casino Christmas (Christmas)
• Kewadin Casino Hessel (Hessel)
• Kewadin Casino Manistique (Manistique)
• Kewadin Casino, Hotel and Convention Center (Sault Saint Marie)
• Kewadin Shores Casino St. Ignace (St. Ignace)
• Kings Club Casino (Brimley)
• Leelanau Sands Casino (Suttons Bay)
• Little River Casino and Resort (Manistee)
• Northern Waters Casino Resort (Watersmeet)
• Odawa Casino Resort (Petoskey)
• Odawa Casino Mackinaw City (Mackinaw City)
• Ojibwa Casino Marquette (Marquette)
• Ojibwa Casino Resort Baraga (Baraga)
• Saganing Eagles Landing Casino (Standish)
• Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort (Mt. Pleasant)
• Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel (Williamsburg)

Biggest land-based sportsbooks

Michigan has three state-licensed commercial casinos – MGM Grand Detroit, Greektown Casino Hotel, and MotorCity Casino Hotel – all located in Detroit. MGM Grand Detroit and Greektown Casino Hotel both opened their doors to sports bettors on March 11, 2020. MotorCity Casino Hotel launched sports betting one day later on March 12, 2020.

FireKeepers Casino was first to open their retail sportsbook post-COVID lockdown on June 22, and was followed just a few weeks later by the trio of Four Winds Casinos in Dowagiac, Hartford, and New Buffalo in mid-July. Little River Casino opened their River Rock-themed sportsbook shortly after that, setting off a chain reaction of tribal sportsbook openings across the state.

MGM Grand Detroit

MGM Grand Detroit is a luxury casino resort that opened in July 1999. MGM Grand Detroit boasts 100,000 square feet of gaming space, more than 400 hotel rooms, and plenty of dining and entertainment options similar to those you’d find at a big Las Vegas casino. As the name suggests, MGM Grand Detroit is owned by MGM Resorts.

MGM Grand Detroit opened its sportsbook on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.

MotorCity Casino Hotel

MotorCity Casino Hotel is a commercial facility that’s also located in Detroit. It was opened December 1999 by Mandalay Resort Group before later being purchased by IH Gaming, part of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., which also owns the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers. MotorCity Casino Hotel has 100,000 square feet of gaming space and 400 hotel rooms. The property boasts approximately 2,800 slot machines, several dozen table games, and live poker.

MotorCity Casino Hotel is partnered with FanDuel Sportsbook for sports betting. The deal gives FanDuel online sportsbook access to the Wolverine State. MotorCity Casino Hotel opened its retail sportsbook on Thursday, March 12, 2020.

Greektown Casino Hotel

Greektown Casino Hotel is another of the three casino resorts located in Detroit, Michigan. Greektown Casino Hotel opened in November 2000. The property claims 100,000 square feet of gaming space and 400 hotel rooms. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Penn National Gaming.

Like MGM Grand Detroit, Greektown Casino started operations at its retail sportsbook on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 – officially opening the sports betting market in the state.

Gun Lake Casino

Gun Lake Casino in Wayland announced a partnership with Parx Casino that brought retail betting to the facility. The Stage 131 Sportsbook & Lounge offers brick-and-mortar sports betting, and serves as the host site for Parx’s online sportsbook. The arrangement gives Parx Casino access to Michigan, which is its third regulated gaming market, following New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

FireKeepers Casino

FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek opened its retail sports betting facility, Dacey’s Sportsbook, on June 22, 2020, becoming the first tribal sportsbook to accept wagers in the state. The casino still lacks an online partner, but has linked up with the reputable tech provider Scientific Games to run its retail betting. On site at Dacey’s there are numerous sports betting kiosks, plus a desk/window to place bets in-person.

The FireKeepers Casino opened in 2009 at a cost of $300 million. It features more than 110,000 square feet of gaming space, thousands of slot machines, and a wealth of table games. The full-service hotel, which began accepting guests in 2012, has more than 200 available rooms.

Four Winds Casinos

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians operate three casinos in southwestern Michigan: Four Winds Hartford, Four Winds New Buffalo and Four Winds Dowagiac. On July 1, 2020, the tribe announced a deal with Kambi Group to manage its sportsbook operations both for a brick-and-mortar sportsbook and online. Kambi also powers sportsbooks for DraftKings and Parx, among others.

Four Winds’ trio of casinos all opened their retail sportsbooks on July 13, 2020.

Little River Casino

Little River Casino opened their “River Rock Sportsbook and Grille” on July 17, 2020, a 24-hour retail sportsbook where you can watch, dine, and bet on all your favorite games. The sportsbook features betting windows, a full-service restaurant and several self-service kiosks that are available 24/7.

Outside of the sportsbook, Little River Casino features over 1,400 slots and dozens of table games spread over 23,000 square feet of space. Little River also has close to 300 hotel rooms, and if camping out is your thing, a 95-space RV park as well. For your dining pleasure, Little River has four restaurants spread out through the casino.

Details of the Michigan Sports Betting Bill

For Michigan sports bettors, the 2019 holiday season was one to make them smile, as sports betting was officially made legal in the state in December. The legislation, HB 4916, paved the way for licensed casinos and federally recognized tribes to offer legal sports betting in Michigan, through retail, mobile, and online.

Below are key details of the legislation:

• Minimum age of 21 to bet on sports
• 8.4% tax rate on adjusted gross sports wagering revenue
• Three commercial casinos located in Detroit will pay an additional 1.25% tax to the city
• State tax revenue will go to School Aid Fund and First Responder Presumed Coverage Fund
• Licensed commercial casinos and federally recognized tribal casinos can apply for licenses
• $50,000 application fee
• $100,000 license fee
• $50,000 annual renewal fee
• “Official League Data” required for grading of in-play sports bets
• One third-party partner for mobile/online sportsbook
• Operators are allowed one online skin each

Michigan’s Path To Legal Sports Betting

The road to legalizing sports betting in Michigan has been a long and arduous one. Given the state’s background in gambling, it was one that took longer than most would think.

Foundations were laid out in 2015 when Rep. Robert Kosowski started a bill to allow casinos to accept sports bets. At the time, federal law still very much prohibited this, and as a result, nothing really came of it.

Kosowski followed this up in 2016 and then in 2017, each time tweaking initial plans, but ultimately pushing to legalize both sports betting and online betting.

The most significant progress was made in 2017, when Rep. Brandt Iden got involved. He suggested that the state should remain opposed to sports betting, but should the federal laws be relaxed, offered that Michigan should be in a position to legalize sports betting. As a result, bill H 4926 was passed as the first through the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

When the Professional & Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018, wheels started to turn to bring sports betting to Michigan. With Gov. Rick Snyder preparing to leave office at the end of the year, iGaming legislation that would legalize sports betting hit the governor’s desk in December. But on his way out, the lame duck governor vetoed the bill, delaying efforts for at least another year.

Taking office was Gretchen Whitmer, who was in favor of sports betting, but it was not as simple of a process as many had hoped. Gov. Whitmer had her concerns, and ultimately decided to work on crafting legislation she felt comfortable with. The parties involved eventually reached an agreement and the legislation went on to pass Michigan’s two chambers. In the latter half of December 2019, Gov. Whitmer signed the bill into law, opening the door for Michigan to allow legal sports betting. Retail betting began in March 2020, with online wagers following in January 2025.