Michigan Gaming Control Board
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) is the state agency that regulates commercial casinos, retail and online sports betting, online casino gaming (iGaming), charitable gaming, and horse racing in Michigan. Every legal sportsbook operating in the state; and every casino it partners with; is licensed and overseen by the MGCB.
Role and authority
The MGCB was created in 1996 following voter approval of Proposal E to license commercial casinos in Detroit. Its authority expanded with the Lawful Sports Betting Act of 2019, which legalized retail and online sports betting, and the Lawful Internet Gaming Act, which legalized online casino games. The MGCB is responsible for issuing operator licenses, vendor licenses, employee occupational licenses, and supplier licenses; auditing operator finances; investigating consumer complaints; enforcing responsible-gaming requirements; and remitting tax revenue to the state.
Sports betting framework
Michigan's online sports betting model uses a market-access framework: each online sportsbook must contract with a licensed land-based casino. Three commercial casinos in Detroit (MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, Hollywood Casino at Greektown) and the federally recognized tribes anchor the twelve current online operators.
Currently licensed online sportsbooks
- FanDuel (MotorCity / MGM market access)
- DraftKings (Bay Mills Indian Community)
- BetMGM (MGM Grand Detroit)
- Caesars Sportsbook (Hollywood Casino at Greektown / Sault Ste. Marie Tribe)
- ESPN BET (Hollywood Casino at Greektown; PENN)
- bet365 (Hollywood Casino at Greektown)
- BetRivers (Little River Band of Ottawa Indians)
- Fanatics Sportsbook (Soaring Eagle / Saginaw Chippewa Tribe)
- Hard Rock Bet (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians)
- FireKeepers Sportsbook (Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi)
- Four Winds Sportsbook (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians)
- Eagle Casino Sports (Saginaw Chippewa Tribe)
Tax structure
Operators pay 8.4% of adjusted gross sports betting receipts in state tax; among the most competitive operator-tax rates in the country. Detroit's three commercial casinos pay an additional 1.5% city tax on top of the state rate. Tax revenue funds the School Aid Fund, the Michigan Internet Sports Betting Fund, and various municipal allocations.
Consumer protections
The MGCB enforces a strict set of consumer protections including:
- 21+ minimum age requirement for online sports betting
- Geolocation verification (you must be physically inside Michigan)
- Identity verification on every account (KYC)
- Mandatory deposit, time and loss limits available to all customers
- State-administered self-exclusion list (the Disassociated Persons List)
- Prohibition on betting by athletes, coaches and officials in their own sport
- Prohibition on high school sports betting
Filing a complaint
Consumers can submit complaints about a sportsbook directly to the MGCB through the agency's Sports Betting and Online Gaming Complaint Process. The MGCB will investigate and require operators to respond.
Responsible gaming
The MGCB partners with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to fund the Michigan Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-270-7117. Free counseling is available 24/7. The National Council on Problem Gambling can also be reached at 1-800-GAMBLER.