Is crypto sports betting legal in Michigan?

What's legal

Michigan's Lawful Sports Betting Act (Public Act 149 of 2019) took effect on December 20, 2019. The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) authorized in-person betting at the three Detroit casinos at 1 p.m. on March 11, 2020, and online sports betting and online casino games went live at noon on January 22, 2021. You must be 21 to bet in person or to open an online account.

Online betting is run by the Detroit commercial casinos and by tribes that operate Class III casinos, usually through a platform provider. The MGCB's authorized-platform list currently shows 13 operators with an online sportsbook, a mix of national brands and tribal-run apps. The Detroit casinos are MotorCity Casino, Hollywood Casino at Greektown and MGM Grand Detroit. In-person betting at tribal casinos falls under tribal-state compacts and federal law, not MGCB rules. Youth and high school events cannot be offered.

How betting works here

You open an account with a licensed platform and prove you are at least 21. Under rule R 432.731, every wager must be placed by someone physically in Michigan, and the platform's geofencing has to keep checking your location for the whole session, not only at login. The same rule blocks wagers the moment you leave the permitted boundary.

The Lawful Sports Betting Act sets the minimum ways an operator must let you fund an account: cash, cash equivalents, ACH transfer, debit cards and credit cards, plus any other method the board approves. Cryptocurrency is not on that list, and no MGCB approval of crypto deposits turned up.

Crypto and offshore sites

The MGCB tells residents to check that a platform appears on its official list of licensed operators before they register or deposit. Licensed apps fund accounts in US dollars, and crypto is not a normal deposit option, so holders usually sell coins first.

Michigan is one of the most active states against unlicensed sites. By April 7, 2026 the board had ordered 45 offshore operators to stop, all within four months. The list included sites with crypto in their names, such as bitcoinsportsbook.ag and ethcasino.io, and two long-running offshore sportsbook brands. Earlier rounds in 2025 covered 10, 11, 14 and 12 operators. Players on such sites risk rigged games, withheld winnings and no way to dispute a decision.

On October 8, 2026 the MGCB sent 33 more letters, including to Cryptoplay and mBit Casino. Offshore sites do not honor Michigan's self-exclusion database, so someone who has banned themselves can still deposit and bet there. Operators that ignore the letters may face further action from the Attorney General. No offshore crypto sportsbook is licensed in any US state.

Fantasy, racing and prediction markets

Paid daily fantasy is legal under the Fantasy Contests Consumer Protection Act. The MGCB licenses operators ($10,000 to apply, $5,000 a year to renew, per its 2022 announcement) and taxes monthly adjusted revenue at 8.4 percent. The Detroit casinos and Class III tribes need no license. The minimum age is 18, against 21 for betting.

Online horse-race wagering is shut off for now. State law ties account wagering to a live race meet at a licensed track, and Michigan had none. The MGCB ordered its four licensed ADW providers, including Xpressbet and TwinSpires, to stop serving Michigan residents from January 1, 2025, and suspended TwinSpires on January 9, 2025. No later change turned up.

On prediction markets, Attorney General Dana Nessel sued Kalshi in March 2026 in Ingham County Circuit Court, calling its sports contracts unlicensed betting and a common law nuisance. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina granted a restraining order and then, in early September 2026, a preliminary injunction, according to the Michigan Advance. Kalshi says the CFTC has exclusive jurisdiction.

What's changing

The MGCB approved Hard Rock Bet for the Hannahville Indian Community's Island Resort & Casino in December 2025, and bet365 for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in April 2026. The board also wrote to the CFTC in April 2025 to raise concerns about sporting event contracts. The Kalshi case continues, and no pending Michigan bill that would change who may offer sports betting turned up.

Tax on winnings

Michigan taxes income, including gambling winnings, at a flat 4.25 percent for tax year 2026, according to the Treasury Department. Since 2021, a casual gambler who itemizes federally can deduct wagering losses on the Michigan return as well, but not below zero winnings. A nonresident can deduct only losses from wagers at a Michigan casino or race track. Treasury's Revenue Administrative Bulletin 2022-22 rejects the session method for sports bets, so each bet stands alone.

Federal rules apply on top: see [state tax on winnings](/tax/state-tax-on-winnings/) and [deducting gambling losses](/tax/deducting-gambling-losses/). Ask a tax professional about your own return.

If something goes wrong

Complain to the sportsbook first. The MGCB requires you to give the operator at least 10 days to answer. If it stays silent or the reply fails, file an Internet Gaming and Sports Betting Complaint with the MGCB. The board regulates only licensed platforms and says it cannot recover deposits from offshore sites.

The Responsible Gaming Database bars you from all licensed online gambling, sports betting or both, for 1 or 5 years. Confirmation can take up to 45 days and you cannot leave early. The Disassociated Persons List bans you from the Detroit casinos for life, with removal possible after 5 years. The MGCB responsible gaming office is 888-223-3044.

For help, call 1-800-GAMBLER, which connects to Michigan's 24-hour Problem Gambling Helpline. To report an illegal site, email MIGamblingTip@michigan.gov or call 1-888-314-2682.

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