Michigan: status at a glance
| Online casino | Live, state-licensed |
|---|---|
| Sports betting | Online and retail |
| Online poker | Live, state-licensed |
| Sweepstakes casinos | Blocked by existing law or enforcement Gaming Control Board cease-and-desist letters since 2024 |
Michigan treats internet casino play as a licensed activity
The legal framework is a pair of state laws plus the Penal Code. The Board's news releases name the Lawful Internet Gaming Act and the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act as the statutes that unlicensed sites violate, together with sections of the Michigan Penal Code. The Legislature's own site refused our connection on November 11, 2026, so we did not read the statute texts. A file name in search results suggests Public Act 152 of 2019 for the internet gaming law, but we did not open that file, so the year is a lead and not a finding.
The practical rule is stated in the Board's own words: internet gaming and sports betting may only be offered by operators it has licensed. A site with no Michigan license is not authorized to offer play in the state, whatever its home page claims.
Who may hold a license
The Board's August 18, 2026 release speaks of "commercial and tribal operators," which points to the two groups behind licensed internet gaming: the three commercial casinos in Detroit, and tribes with casinos. A release of April 1, 2026 shows how a platform company fits in poker: a national company's product runs in Michigan with a Detroit casino named as the operator partner.
We do not name individual operators on this page, because we could not open the Board's list. The Board's operator list is the place to see which brands are authorized and which casino or tribe stands behind each.
Counting the legal online casinos Michigan has
The Board's news release dated August 18, 2026 states that as of July 2026, 15 commercial and tribal operators were authorized to offer internet gaming, online sports betting or both. All 15 offer internet gaming, and 13 offer online sports betting. That is the Board's figure, taken from its release. We did not count the entries on its list ourselves, since the Board's site did not answer our client.
Industry trackers earlier in 2026 gave 15 or 16, so the official figure falls within that range and the two sources do not conflict. Trade press numbers are not primary and we do not rely on them.
What the licenses cover
The licenses cover three kinds of product.
- Internet casino games. The Board reports "iGaming" gross receipts monthly. For July 2026 it gave iGaming gross receipts of $302.77 million and adjusted gross receipts of $290.65 million.
- Online sports betting. July 2026 online sports betting gross receipts were $43.36 million, on a handle of $355.2 million.
- Internet poker. Poker players in Michigan have been able to sit at tables with players in other states since the state joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in 2022. Before then, the Board says, they could only play against others located in Michigan.
Taxes are part of the model. Operators paid the state $61.2 million in iGaming taxes and fees for July 2026, and the three Detroit casinos paid a further $13.5 million in iGaming taxes and fees to the city, according to the same release.
How to confirm that a site is licensed
The Board's Legal vs. Illegal Gaming page is described in three of its releases as listing every internet gaming and internet sports betting operator it has licensed. A resident can compare the name on an app or website with that list. The same page is reported to carry a list of unlicensed sites that received cease-and-desist letters, but the releases we read do not say whether that list is complete, and industry trackers describe it as not exhaustive, so a site's absence from it does not make the site licensed. A step by step guide is at the Michigan regulator page, and the general method is on the license check guide.
What residents should know
The Board's releases give several practical points.
- Licensed operators must take part in the state's self-exclusion tools, the Disassociated Persons List and the Internet Gaming and Sports Betting Responsible Gaming Database. The Board says unlicensed sites owe players no such access.
- A free license for gambling blocking software is offered to Michigan residents through a partnership the Board mentions in its August 18, 2026 release.
- Suspected illegal gambling can be reported by phone to 1-888-314-2682 or by email to MIGamblingTip@michigan.gov.
- Help is available from the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).
We did not read the Board's rules on geolocation, age or identity checks, so none are described here.
Unlicensed sites and sweepstakes
The Board has written to unlicensed operators in several rounds. Its release of October 24, 2025 reports letters to eight online casinos and orders to stop accepting wagers from anyone located in Michigan. The titles of its 2026 releases show 45 letters in April and 33 in October. The sweepstakes position, which differs from licensed play, is set out on the Michigan sweepstakes page.
Frequently asked questions
Is internet casino gaming legal in Michigan?
Yes, for operators the Board has licensed. The Board says the state's internet gaming market is reserved for operators it licenses and monitors.
How many licensed operators are there?
The Board's August 18, 2026 release says 15 commercial and tribal operators were authorized as of July 2026. Not every one offers sports betting: 13 do.
Can a tribe or only a Detroit casino hold a license?
The Board's wording covers both commercial and tribal operators, which means Detroit casinos and tribal casinos.
Where does the list of licensed operators sit?
On the Board's Legal vs. Illegal Gaming page at michigan.gov/mgcb. Our client was refused by that site, so we link it without having opened the list.