Michigan Online Sports Betting in 2021
Sports Betting in Michigan: Legal in 2021
Following the abolition of PASPA in 2018, Michigan was one of the states that decided to legalize sports betting. The actual process took over a year and in December 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Bill 4916 which allowed both land-based and online bookmakers to exist in the state. To date, Detroit-based commercial casinos have introduced live betting options, while we are still waiting for Michigan sports betting online to start with operation.
Land Based Betting Operators & Racetracks in Michigan 2021
Michigan acted on the Supreme Court’s decision to allow states to regulate sports betting within their borders from 2018 quite quickly, but still only managed to become the 20th state to regulate sports betting. The Lawful Sports Betting Act was passed in December 2019 and all land-based casinos within the state were immediately given the green light to apply for a gaming license.
Now that sports betting in Michigan became legal, each casino must apply for a sports betting license with the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB). The licenses cost USD 100.000 initially and USD 50.000 for each year after, but the casinos jumped at the opportunity to establish sportsbooks.
At this time, there are three commercial casinos in the state, each of them located in the Detroit area. All three of these casinos have applied and been successfully granted a license for sports betting. In addition, another 23 tribal casinos within the state were allowed to open sportsbooks on their premises. The main difference between the commercial and tribal casinos is that people below the Michigan sports betting age of 21 can gamble in some of them, with 18 being the limit in some tribal casinos.
Online Betting in Michigan 2021
When the Lawful Sports Betting Act was signed in late 2019, it allowed online sports betting in Michigan along with retail sports betting. However, like most states, Michigan needs some time to make sports betting online a reality as the casinos need to work with online betting operators to establish partnerships and find common ground before sites can be launched.
With all legal obstacles now out of the way, the only real question is which casino will partner up with which sports betting operator to offer the online betting services. Each operator who wants to apply for a license must partner up with one of the commercial or tribal casinos in the state, so there are plenty of options in play and likely quite a few sites will be live within the next months.
When it comes to online sports betting, there will probably not be too many restrictions in place, as operators will be able to offer sports betting online across the board. The only restrictions that will apply will be those of geolocation and age, as only players playing from within Michigan and over the age of 21 will be allowed to place bets via these online betting sites.
At Betting Billy, we do our best to present our players with the finest sports betting options, so you can be sure to find up-to-date reviews of Michigan-based legal sportsbooks and all updates on new sites being launched right here. The most important thing to remember is to choose a legal site instead of an offshore one, as this is the only way you can be guaranteed safety and payment of any potential winnings.
Mobile Sports Betting in Michigan 2021
Along with retail and online sports betting, the Michigan sports betting bill also makes way for legal mobile betting, which will be supplied by the same operators that are granted online gambling licenses. These operators are able to launch their own betting apps and provide all their betting markets to players within Michigan on the go.
The first Michigan sports betting apps already launched in the second half of 2020, some more already followed and more apps are likely to hit the market in the upcoming months. As online sports betting, mobile betting will be offered by international betting operators in conjunction with local Detroit-based or tribal casinos from Michigan.
Michigan Betting Site List: Legal Sportsbooks in 2021
| Operator | Landbased Partner |
|---|---|
| BetMGM | Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa |
| BetRivers | Rivers Casino |
| Caesars Sportsbook | Bally's Atlantic City |
| DraftKings Sportsbook | Resorts Casino Hotel Atlantic City |
| FOX Bet | Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment |
| FanDuel Sportsbook | Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment |
| Golden Nugget Sportsbook | Golden Nugget Hotel Casino & Marina |
| PointsBet | Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment |
| William Hill | Monmouth Park & Ocean Resort Casino |
| WynnBET | N/A |
Favorite Sports & Teams in Michigan
When it comes to sports, Michigan is easily one of the more versatile states with major basketball, football, baseball and hockey teams. This goes for both the professional and the college level and the sports fans in the state are often torn apart between supporting the different sides. The real ones support all the local teams of course, which is why the Michigan bookies have been swamped with the business since the day they opened.
At the college level, the University of Michigan wins the popularity contest with the Wolverines having the biggest base of supporters. However, Michigan State has a competitive team of its own and their supporter base is not too shabby at all, making for some fantastic domestic rivalry.
On the professional level, Detroit has teams representing Michigan in each of the country’s major leagues, with the NHL’s Red Wings probably having the greatest supporter base at home. The Detroit Pistons are a staple name in the NBA, while MLB’s Tigers and NFL’s Lions complete the group and make for a great representation of Michigan across the board.
Given the extreme popularity and competitiveness in Michigan sports, the sports betting market is likely to remain healthy for many years to come. A well-known fact is that sports fans love to bet on home teams and the great number of competitive teams in the state will only spark up the business for betting sites in Michigan.
What You Can and Can’t Bet on in Michigan
Just like most other states, sportsbook betting in Michigan is set to cover a wide range of different sports, competitions and markets. The original bill that made it legal to bet in Michigan allowed the regulator, Michigan Gaming Control Board, to regulate which sports could be bet on and in what capacity.
The regulator decided to make bets on all major American and plenty of other international sports possible, but limited some sports to only major events. For this reason, players may only be able to place wagers on certain sports during World Cups or Olympic Games, with rugby being one such sport.
Apart from this, the only other limitation involves sports that are played by minors. High school leagues and games will be excluded from any sports betting, simply due to how easy they are to influence. Not a single state in America has made betting on these legal yet, but college football and other college sports betting will be allowed throughout Michigan.
Gambling in Michigan: Since when is it legal to Bet?
Gambling in Michigan has a fairly rich history that dates beyond the 20th century. However, the first real legal gambling opportunity for the people of Michigan came in 1933, when the state founded the Office of Racing Commissioner, which was in charge of pari-mutuel horse racing.
It took some time until other opportunities appeared for gambling in Michigan and in 1972 the State Lottery was founded. Public Act 239 set up the Lottery that year and was signed by governor William Milliken. In 1996, the Lottery introduced The Big Game, a multistate lottery that gave Michigan citizens a chance at some life-changing jackpots.
Starting in 1993, the state started allowing tribal nations within Michigan to open tribal casinos, 23 of which are currently in operation. These casinos allow persons of 18 or 19 years of age to gamble within their premises. Past that, the 1996 Proposal E allowed for three commercial casinos to be open in the Detroit area, which are still operating.
All of the above-mentioned casinos opened a sportsbook as well in early 2020, following the passage of the Michigan sports gambling law in December 2019. Each Michigan sportsbook must be tied to a casino, but each of them rushed to allow sports betting as soon as it was legal. Today, players can bet on sports in all legal casinos in the state, while online sports gambling is also coming later within the year.
Gambling Guide: Michigan Online Betting
The state of Michigan does allow legal sports betting both offline and online. The state passed the sports gambling law in December 2019 and this law set up the state regulator and made it possible for tribal and commercial casinos to apply for gambling licenses applicable for live and online sports betting.
The state of Michigan allows all adults who are within the borders to bet on sports. In live casinos in Detroit persons over the age of 21 can bet, while tribal casinos allow 18 or 19 year olds to place bets. In order to bet online at Michigan bookies, players must be within the borders or the state in question.
Within Michigan, players can bet on all major sporting competitions, especially those happening within the USA. Some international competitions may not be on offer and no high school leagues or games are allowed to appear on the offer. The selection of markets is rich and well diversified.
Mobile sports betting in Michigan is regulated by the same gambling law that regulates sports gambling in general. However, sports betting apps are set to launch in the second part of 2020 and it is not yet completely clear which apps will be available before the year has ended.
Yes! Nearly all forms of online gambling are not legal in Michigan, including online poker, online casino games, online lottery and daily fantasy sports. This covers just about any form of gambling you can imagine, so players should not worry about their lack of options when it comes to gambling in this state.
Any sports betting winnings acquired through Michigan bookies are taxable. The Michigan sports betting tax must be paid in addition to the federal tax. Players should be aware of their winnings and losses and pay their taxes themselves, as well as report their losses for tax deductions.
Absolutely! Both the commercial and the tribal casinos in Michigan allow sports betting for all adults, regardless of their nationality. Whether you are visiting from another state or from abroad, you can bet on sports in these venues as well as in online apps operated by Michigan operators.
The Michigan bookies have not yet fully launched, so it is early to say which of them will offer the best service. However, even once they are live, there will be differences between them and each player is best deciding for himself which bookmaker is best for his personal needs.
In accordance with the 2019 Lawful Sports Betting Act, the Michigan Gaming Control Board was given the authority to regulate all sports betting in the state. This is the only body that can issue a legal operating license in Michigan and players should always play at sites regulated by this body.
Offshore bookmakers continue to offer their services to the citizens of Michigan. However, these operators have no legal right to do so and are operating outside of the law. For this reason, players should stay away from such operators if they want to stay safe and keep their money in a safe place.
