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Michigan Online Sports Betting - Best MI Online Sportsbook Promo Offers

by Ryan Gutzler (rgutzler) Last Updated 2024-10-15T18:41:08

After four years, numerous bills, and an unfortunate last-minute veto, Michigan’s race for online gaming legislation has finally crossed the finish line. Just days before Christmas 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a group of bills including HB 4916, the Lawful Sports Betting Act, which legalized sports betting in the state. On March 11, 2020, the first legal sports bets were placed in Michigan. Just over a year after Gov. Whitmer signed the online sports betting bill into law, the first online wagers were placed on January 22, 2021, marking the beginning of the best Michigan sportsbook bonus offers with a variety of welcome bonuses, ongoing promotions, and unique offers.

Michigan Online Sports Betting Promotions

This page will serve as your comprehensive guide to sports betting in Michigan. You have questions? Here are the answers.

Michigan Online Sportsbooks

In Michigan each commercial casino, of which there are three, is allowed to partner with an online operator to offer mobile gaming. In addition, there are twelve federally recognized tribes in the state that are each allowed to engage in partnerships of their own through 23 tribal casinos.

Fanatics Sportsbook

Fanatics entered the Wolverine state in February 2024, making Michigan the 13th state out of 22 locations where the sportsbook is available. Fanatics takes over the operations of PointsBet, which officially closed in Michigan.

BetMGM

MGM opened the Michigan sports betting market, accepting the state’s first retail wagers on March 11, 2020. The MGM Grand Detroit is a commercial casino hotel, and one of the state’s largest gambling facilities – making it the perfect licensing partner. It’s located in the heart of downtown Detroit, and is one of the few resort-style casinos in a major city found anywhere in the country. Mobile sports betting is offered through its website and mobile app. BetMGM also offers online casino options. The BetMGM online sports betting platform arrived in Michigan on January 22, 2021.

BetMGM provides various promotional offers, including bet insurance, where the first bet is covered with a refund if it loses (not if your bet wins). This bonus may come in the form of free bets or bonus credits with specific conditions and restrictions.

Caesars Sportsbook

Caesars Sportsbook came to be after the company’s acquisition of William Hill in early 2021. Caesars Sportsbook is now using the William Hill tech, but under their newly re-designed online sportsbook brand. Caesars is dedicated to being a force in the US market and have the money and customer base to back it up.

Caesars Sportsbook officially went live in August 2021, and is taking bets on a wide variety of betting markets. Their prop bet and live in-game betting could use a little work, but overall is worth checking out thanks to their stacked promotional schedule and tied-in loyalty program.

FanDuel Sportsbook

Daily Fantasy Sports mega-site FanDuel will offer Michigan sports betting through a partnership with the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit. Its retail sportsbook opened just a day after MGM and Greektown got things started on March 12, 2020. It’s facility at the MotorCity casino spans two-stories, and features six betting windows, more than 60 TVs, a sports ticker, VIP service, and more than 50 self-service betting kiosks.

It is no surprise that FanDuel online sportsbook was available on day one in Michigan as FanDuel has risen to the top of every US market by consistently being one of the first movers and offering one of the top mobile and desktop sportsbook experiences out there. FanDuel went live on January 22, 2021 and always has a generous new customer promotion for those new to sports betting. FanDuel often provides a safety net in the form of a bonus bet if the initial wager loses, ensuring that new users have a chance to recover if their first bet loses.

DraftKings Sportsbook

The marquee name in U.S. sports betting reached a licensing agreement for Michigan with the Bay Mills Indian Community. DraftKings Sportsbook now offers online and mobile sports betting throughout the state in addition to hosting retail options at both the Bay Mills Resort, and the Kings Club Casino. DraftKings Sportsbook has been the most active sports betting operator in the country to date, and also brought its online casino to Michigan as well.

BetRivers

Rush Street Interactive (RSI), one of the nation’s leading iGaming entities, has entered the Michigan market through a partnership with the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. Its full service BetRivers online sports betting website and mobile application are now available to bettors across the state as of January 22, 2021.

BetRivers offers various promotional deals, and it is important to note that bonus bets expire typically within seven days.

ESPN BET

Partner: PENN Entertainment
Partner Casino: Greektown Casino
Retail Launch: TBD
Online/Mobile Launch: November 14, 2023

The highly anticipated ESPN BET has arrived and it’s officially live in Michigan and 16 other states. ESPN BET has partnered with PENN Entertainment to produce a new online sportsbook along with embedding gambling insights into their ESPN produced content. ESPN BET aims to enhance the overall sports gambling experience by combining live scores, news and betting all in one application.

Michigan bettors can take advantage of exclusive sign-up offers and promotions, including bonus bets and promo codes tailored specifically for them.

Golden Nugget Sportsbook

The Golden Nugget has already established a powerful online gaming presence in the United States and look to do the same in Michigan. Golden Nugget’s leading mobile sportsbook (and casino!) arrived in Michigan on January 22, 2021, through an agreement with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

Few companies have made the transition from brick-and-mortar success to online dominance as well as the Golden Nugget. It offers customers a unique and highly enjoyable experience. From one of the best Michigan Sportsbook promos to performance, the product delivers.

SI Sportsbook

TwinSpires was the first sportsbook to partner with the Island Resort & Casino on the Upper Peninsula. The company offers retail betting on-site at its Harris, MI location. In 2022, Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), decided to scrap the TwinSpires online sportsbook, so the license with the Hannahville Indian Community opened back up. Enter SI Sportsbook, which partnered with the Community to bring its innovative sportsbook to the fine people of Michigan. As of now, this partnership is online-only, and the TwinSpires retail casino is still in operation at the Island Casino.

Four Winds Sportsbook

Four Winds, which is operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, became the 12th sportsbook in Michigan, and the 11th to also offer an online casino, when they launched their online operations on February 15, 2021. There are three retail casino locations in New Buffalo, Dowagiac, and Hartford, all of which also offer kiosks and a sportsbook lounge.

Play Gun Lake

The Parx Casino is located in Pennsylvania, just a few miles from the Delaware River, which separates it from New Jersey. Its online operations have been a hit in both its home state and across the river in NJ – but now is the time for real expansion. Through a partnership with Gun Lake Casino, BetPARX made Michigan its third state of operation when it went live online in June 2021.

Firekeepers Sportsbook

Firekeepers launched their online sportsbook and iGaming platform to become the 13th sports betting operation in Michigan. With a retail casino located in Battle Creek, Firekeepers depends on elite customer service, and a fantastic retail experience to bring new users onto their online platform. Partnering with NYX Digital was a big win for Firekeepers, and their services are sure to delight new bettors who find themselves looking for a new sportsbook to wager with.

Who Else Could Join?

While potential licensing partners are disappearing fast, there is still room for more online sportsbooks to secure a foothold in Michigan. Sites that could make their way to the state include:

There are sure to be surprise contenders in the Michigan sports betting market, too. We’ll update accordingly as more online sports betting agreements are announced. The competitive nature of Michigan sportsbooks, with offers like BetMGM’s cross-sell bonus offer, makes it an exciting market to watch.

How To Get Started

Now that legal sports betting is here, let’s take a look at who can wager in Michigan, and how to get started. There are a few restrictions to note, all of which will be watched closely by the Michigan Gaming Control Board:

Age Limit

This likely won’t come as a shock, betting in Michigan is reserved for those 21 and up. With just a few exceptions, 21 is the standard age to play in the United States.

Location

Another industry standard, in order to engage in Michigan online betting you have to actually be in Michigan. Before placing a bet on a computer you’ll be required to download and install a plugin that will confirm your location. If you’re betting on a mobile device it’s a little easier, as the built-in GPS chips can satisfy this for you.

Don’t live in Michigan? Not a problem, you don’t have to be a resident to play. Anytime you’re within the state’s borders you can get involved.

Registration

While each online sports betting bookmaker will have its own sign up process, they all typically follow the same formula. Potential bettors will need to provide key information like name, physical address, phone, email, and a Social Security Number. 

It’s important to keep in mind that you can create an online sports betting account, and even fund it from anywhere. However, in order to actually place a wager you’ll need to confirm that you are actually in Michigan. Thus, if you have an upcoming trip, family visit, airport layover, etc., you can create/fund your account in advance so you don’t have to waste valuable time once you arrive.

Online sports bettors will be able to create their account and get started with online sports betting entirely from home – you never have to set foot inside a casino if you don’t want to.

Depositing Money

Speaking of funding an account, it’s really a painless process now. Modern online sportsbooks provide copious options for getting money in, and out of your account. While options will vary based on the Michigan sports betting operator, there are a lot of common choices that have become pretty standard within the industry:

A major positive for legal Michigan sports betting is that online sites are partnered with a physical casino in the state. Therefore you can physically go to that casino and deposit or withdraw directly at the cage if you don’t feel like setting it up online. The state’s commercial casinos and tribal casinos both offer sports betting options. Additionally, many operators provide various sports betting bonuses, such as sign-up bonuses, deposit matches, and no-deposit free bets, to enhance your betting experience.

Michigan Retail Sportsbooks

While online sports betting may be delayed a bit, brick-and-mortar sportsbooks are officially live! There are currently 26 casinos in Michigan. 3 commercial casinos, and 23 tribal casinos. Under the new law, each site is eligible to operate a retail sportsbook. The casinos and affiliations are as follows:

The Long Road to Michigan Online Sports Betting

PASPA

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, or PASPA for short, was approved in 1992. The end result was that it effectively barred sports betting in the United States (with a few exceptions). For nearly 30 years it served as the barrier between states, and legal sports betting. But no more.

On May 14th, 2018, the Supreme Court officially struck down PASPA, opening the door for each state to individually pursue legal sports betting options.

2018: Close, But No Cigar

2018 seemed like it was going to be the year that Michigan would finally pass online sports betting legislation. In the final hours of the 2018 legislative year, Rep Brandt Iden finally got his “lawful internet gaming act” up for a vote. H4926, which would legalize online poker, casino games, slots and lay the groundwork for sports betting, easily passed in the Senate with a 33-5 vote. The bill quickly moved to the House and three hours later easily passed 71-35.

The only thing standing between legal, safe and regulated online gaming was a signature from the lame duck Governor, Rick Snyder. As his last act in office, Snyder vetoed H4926 along with 39 other bills that arrived on his desk for approval. With that veto, online sports betting and casino gaming was dead for 2018.

The Lawful Sports Betting Act

Lead again by Rep Brandt Iden, Michigan legislators set out to try once more in 2019 with a retooled bill. After successful negotiations over taxes and fees, the Lawful Sports Betting Act was born. Michigan sports betting apps and websites were on the way.

HB 4916, the Lawful Sports Betting Act, was passed as a part of a larger iGaming bill that also included casino and poker on December 11th, 2019. It sets the Michigan sports betting tax at 8.4%, a competitive rate within the industry. Tax revenue will be earmarked for the State School Aid fund.

Potential sports betting operators will be required to pay a $50K fee to apply for a license, $100K if approved for the actual license, and will then be responsible for a $50K renewal fee each year.

Michigan, like legal sports betting in Illinois and Tennessee, will also require official league data.

Michigan’s Betting History

Until 1972, horse racing was the only form of gambling in Michigan, but that changed when charity gambling and lottery were added. In the early 1980’s, Native American tribes began offering high stakes bingo halls that proved to be immensely popular. The tribes went on to negotiate deals with the state for class 2 gaming licenses that would allow them to offer electronic bingo and lottery games. There were some legal battles, but in the end the state granted the licenses.

Until 1996, if residents of Michigan wanted to gamble, they had to cross the border into Canada. State legislators saw the potential for much needed tax revenue and legislation was passed to open 3 casinos in downtown Detroit. It wasn’t until 1999 that the first commercial casino opened its doors.

While the three commercial casinos in Detroit were thriving, the Native American tribes felt slighted and wanted in on the action. After a slew of legal battles, the case eventually wound up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, resulting with the tribes being granted licenses to offer table games and slots. There are now more than 20 tribal casinos run by 12 different tribes.

In 1999, with the state fearing that online gambling could take away revenue from the new casinos in Detroit, a piece of legislation was passed banning all forms of online gambling. This was short lived as the law was reversed later that year.

With 26 casinos spread throughout the state, Michigan is clearly not averse to gambling. Retail sports betting first took off in March 2020 and online sports betting was finally unleashed in early 2021 when we saw 10 online sportsbooks launch on day one.

Daily Fantasy Sports in Michigan

We’ve mentioned some of these prominent operators above as some of the top DFS sites to play in Michigan.

DFS is an alternative to online sports betting that Michigan bettors can undertake. DFS is a type of fantasy contest where users oppose one another, rather than opposing the house in sports betting. Depending on the fantasy contest, users generate an entry or lineup, where only a small percentage of the pool make a profit.

Social Sportsbooks in Michigan

If you’re new to the online sports betting scene, you can test out sports betting on social sportsbooks.

Social sportsbooks have the look and feel of an online sportsbook without having to risk any real stake, or cash. Some of the most notable social sportsbooks that you can join today include Thrillzz Social Sportsbook, Rebet, and Fliff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions in regards to Michigan sports betting and Michigan sports betting promos.

Is sports betting legal in Michigan?

Yes! Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed HB 4916 into law on December 20th, 2019, legalizing sports betting in Michigan.

When will legal online sports betting begin in Michigan?

Michigan online sports betting arrived on January 22, 2021 and is now available throughout the state!

Where can I bet on sports in Michigan?

Retail sportsbooks are open for business throughout Michigan. This includes the state’s three commercial casinos, MGM Grand, Greektown Casino, and the MotorCity in Detroit, plus a number of tribal casinos spread throughout the state.

As per the new law, each of the state’s brick-and-mortar casinos is eligible to open a sportsbook. In addition, the three commercial casinos and the 12 federally recognized tribes within the state will each be eligible to establish partners for online betting – so you can wager from anywhere in the state.

What types of bets can I place in Michigan?

Sports betting in Michigan has no major restrictions. Moneyline bets, spread, over/under, prop bets, parlays, etc. Whatever your preference, you’ll be able to find it.

Can I bet on sports from my phone in Michigan?

Yes! As of January 22, 2021, online sports betting is now live!

Are online casino games and poker legal in Michigan?

Yes they are. While it took separate bills, Michigan legalized both online poker and casino games, too. Many Michigan mobile sports betting sites offer poker and casino games. Check out our friends at Action Network’s Michigan Online Casinos page for more information.

What is the minimum age to bet in Michigan?

The minimum age to place a sports wager in Michigan is 21 years old.

Which neighboring states to Michigan offer sports betting?

Michigan borders three states, all three of which have some sort of legal sports betting. Ohio legalized sports betting and will have it on January 1, 2023. Indiana has a thriving, competitive sports betting industry. Lastly, a handful of tribal casinos in Wisconsin offer retail sports betting, but mobile betting is not available in the state yet. Even Ontario, Canada, just across the Detroit River, offers online sports betting.

Is DFS legal in Michigan?

Yes, DFS is legal in Michigan. Many DFS players also bet on sports, and vice versa. FanDuel and DraftKings offer DFS in Michigan along with many other smaller operators.

Are there any restrictions on college sports wagering in Michigan?

There are no restrictions on wagering on college sports, which is great news for the many Michigan and MSU fans, not to mention all the followers of the mid-week gridiron MACtion.

What are the most popular sports teams in Michigan?

All the Detroit professional sports teams are avidly followed by Michiganders, which includes the Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. Michigan and Michigan State are the most popular college programs, but many in Michigan root for Eastern/Central/Western/Northern Michigan, Wayne State, Oakland University, and many other smaller schools in the state.

Why is Michigan called the Wolverine state?

According to historians, the origin of the nickname is said to have originated from the 1835 Toledo War between Michigan and Ohio. Since a wolverine has a reputation of viciousness, Ohioans called Michiganders “wolverines” as the two sides fought over the Toledo Strip. Michiganders were so tickled with that nickname that the school adopted it years later.

    

About the Author

rgutzler
Ryan Gutzler (rgutzler)

Ryan is a former two sport collegiate athlete who now relives the glory days through men’s leagues, coaching and of course, writing about sports. He is also a poker player, sports bettor and avid Sixers, Phillies, Flyers and Duke homer.