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After legalizing casinos in the 1990s and becoming home to many live poker rooms in 2019, Michigan became the sixth state in the US to pass legislation to allow legal online poker sites.

The Great Lakes State has produced many great poker players over the years, including two World Series of Poker Main Event champions. The 2009 winner, Joe Cada, was born in Shelby Charter Township, while the 2013 champ, Ryan Riess, was born in East Lansing.

What follows is an overview of poker in Michigan, covering the legality of online poker and future plans for online poker in Michigan. We also discuss the alternative option, sweepstakes sites and why you should avoid offshore online poker sites.

Finally, you’ll find a review of laws affecting various types of live and online poker in Michigan including a timeline, and a comprehensive list of card rooms in the state.

Global Poker offers online poker in Michigan

Is online poker legal in Michigan?

Yes, online poker is legal in Michigan. That said, it will likely be a while before the first real-money online poker sites launch in the state.

The Lawful Internet Gambling Act was signed into law in December 2019. In fact, it was a package of bills covering a variety of types of online gambling, including online poker.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board has provided a timeline detailing the various stages the board must complete before regulations can be implemented. The process, they say, will take more than a year, making early 2021 a target.

That said, when Michigan is ready for online poker sites, operators will be ready as well.

In early January, The Stars Group became partners with the Michigan-based Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authority to secure an online gambling license in the state.

When the time comes, The Stars Group will no doubt follow the path it previously took in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and launch PokerStars along with an online casino and sportsbook.

However, those operators are all more likely to focus more on sports betting and/or online casinos than on online poker.

It is, nonetheless, probable that both WSOP/888 and partypoker will be finding Michigan partnerships as well, thereby providing some competition to The Stars Group for the online poker market.

Will Michigan regulate online poker?

The Lawful Internet Gambling Act signed into law December 2019 includes “interactive poker” among the varieties of online “casino-style games” that licensed internet gaming operators will be allowed to provide.

The law authorizes the Michigan Gaming Control Board to “administer, regulate and enforce the system of internet gaming” it establishes. That means the state’s regulators are in charge of overseeing online sportsbooks, online casinos, daily fantasy sports and online poker in Michigan.

In other words, when legal Michigan poker sites arrive, it will be fully legal and regulated, which will help ensure the fairness of the games, the security of players’ funds and players’ protection against fraud.

Can I play online poker in Michigan?

Yes. An alternative option falls under the sweepstakes category. Sweepstakes poker sites exist as an alternative to real-money online poker. The most popular of which is Global Poker, a site that welcomes players from Michigan and almost every other state in the US (only excludes Washington).

Rather than using real money, sweepstakes sites employ virtual currencies to be able to serve US players. Global Poker, for instance, uses two types of virtual currencies: “gold coins” and “sweeps coins.”

Players purchase “gold coins,” which, when compared to real money poker sites, might be thought of as “play money.” These can be used in “gold coin” cash games or tournaments, although they have no actual monetary value.

However, when purchasing “gold coins,” players receive “sweeps coins” as a poker bonus. “Sweeps coins” can be obtained in other ways as well, such as through Facebook giveaways or even by writing Global Poker and requesting them (as is required of other kinds of sweepstakes).

“Sweeps coins” are usable to play “sweeps” cash games or tournaments, enabling players to win more of them. Then after accumulating a minimum amount, players can exchange “sweeps coins” for US dollars and cash out.

Are offshore poker sites safe?

The short answer is no. Ever since April 2011 when the “Black Friday” indictments and civil complaint forced the world’s largest online poker sites out of the US, several other operators of varying sizes and quality have continued to accept US players.

These offshore online poker sites — because they all operate outside of the US — have varying reputations among players.

They also involve considerable obstacles when it comes to banking options since the sites have to work around the Unlawful Internet Gambling EnforcementAct of 2006, which restricts US banks and other financial service providers from allowing transactions with these non-US gambling sites.

These sites are not licensed or regulated in the US. As a result, players are at the mercy of the sites when it comes to the integrity and safety of their funds.

There have been multiple incidents of these “rogue” offshore sites that close and make off with players’ money. Players then have little or no recourse to try to recover their funds. Players on these sites also tend not to have options should they suspect cheating, collusion, ghosting, multi-accounting or other types of fraud.

By contrast, playing on a licensed and regulated Michigan poker site ensures careful monitoring and prohibition of such activities, making them a much safer alternative for online poker players.

Michigan poker laws

Michigan is a poker-friendly state. Besides having passed legislation to introduce online poker, there are many ways players in Michigan can play live poker that is permitted by state law.

The Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act, signed into law in 1997, outlines what types of gambling are allowed in the state, including poker.

Among the types of gambling covered by that law are those falling under the heading of “casino gaming,” including “gambling games.”

A “gambling game” involves “any game played with cards, dice, equipment or a machine, including any mechanical, electromechanical or electronic device including computers and cashless wagering systems, for money, credit, or any representative of value.”

Examples subsequently listed include blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and a host of other gambling games, including poker.

Are home poker games legal in Michigan?

Yes, home poker games are legal in Michigan, as long as there is no collection of rake or fees.

The Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act explicitly allows “games played with cards in private homes or residences in which no person makes money for operating the game, except as a player.”

Michigan cardrooms

Michigan is home to three major commercial casinos and about two dozen tribal casinos, and practically all of which have poker rooms. In fact, there are several dozen brick-and-mortar cardrooms throughout the state, including those in casinos, bars, lodges, standalone poker rooms and charity poker rooms.

Here is a comprehensive list of more than 60 poker rooms in the state, all of which highlight no-limit hold’em primarily, although some cardrooms additionally spread fixed-limit hold’em and other games.

Larger rooms also often run daily or weekly tournaments, with the largest ones such as at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel occasionally hosting midmajor tournament series as well.

Michigan poker history timeline

When it comes to legal gambling in Michigan, the state first legalized pari-mutuel horse racing in 1933 and the state lottery in 1972 — in both cases relatively early compared to other states.

It wasn’t until the 1990s, however, that Michigan introduced other forms of legal gambling, including poker.

In 1993, came the first Native American casino after the state signed a compact with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, with several other compacts with different Michigan-based tribes and the opening of more tribal casinos following.

In 1996, voters in the state passed by a narrow margin a proposal to allow three commercial casinos to be built in Detroit, and the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act became law in 1997.

The MGM Grand Detroit was the first to open in July 1999, followed by MotorCity Casino Hotel in December 1999 and Greektown Casino-Hotel in November 2000.

As noted above, poker is among the gambling games allowed in Michigan casinos, with the game also permitted in other licensed brick-and-mortar locations as well as in nonprofit home games.

In 1999, Michigan adopted SB 562, specifically outlawing using the internet to violate provisions of the state’s anti-gambling laws.

However, the following year, the state passed Public Act 185, thereby repealing SB 562. That meant from the year 2000 forward, Michigan didn’t have a specific prohibition on the books outlawing online gambling, leaving the state in a kind of a legal gray area on the matter.

By the 2010s, lawmakers in the state took up the idea of explicitly passing online gambling legislation. After about three years’ worth of effort, a bill called the Lawful Internet Gaming Act was introduced in the state’s Senate as SB 889.

The Senate Regulatory Reform Committeevoted in favor of the bill in June 2016, but it stalled after that and was not brought up for a vote by the entire Senate.

Efforts continued, and in September 2017, a new bill was introduced, H 4926, also called the Lawful Internet Gaming Act.

After sitting dormant for several months, that bill was reintroduced during the 2018 session and was passed by the House. The Senate then amended the bill and passed it in December 2018, and after the House passed that version as well, it was sent to Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature.

The bill allowed both commercial and tribal casino operators to obtain online gambling licenses. It also included language permitting Michigan to enter a multi-state online poker agreement with other states with legal, regulated online poker to share player pools.

Alas for the bill’s proponents, Snyder chose to veto the bill along with about 40 others, his final actions before leaving office. It was back to the drawing board for Michigan legislators.

Incoming Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had already signaled her support of legalizing sports betting during her campaign.

As 2019 progressed, it became clear that she was also favorable to expanding other forms of online gambling in the state, including online poker.

As the year came to a close, a package of bills legalizing online casinos, sports betting and online poker were ultimately passed by both legislative chambers. It was under the collective title of the Lawful Internet Gaming Act or H 4311. Whitmer signed the bills into law on Dec. 20, 2019.

There was one important change made to H 4311, namely, the removal of the clause explicitly allowing Michigan to enter a multi-state compact with other states to share player pools.

Such a compact was not forbidden, either. However, it is unclear whether or not the lack of a specific provision might present difficulties down the road should Michigan online poker sites wish to form such alliances.

What does the future hold for Michigan online poker?

As noted above, it will certainly not be until 2021 at the earliest that any real money online poker sites will launch in Michigan. We have yet to see what effects the coronavirus pandemic will have on the progress of the state’s regulators to implement the new legislation.

While getting sports betting up and running had been an early priority after the new law was passed, perhaps there will be more focus toward online casinos and online poker — sooner rather than later.

Real Money Poker Sites For Michigan

With a population of just over 10 million, Michigan is the second-most populous state, thus far, to have legalized online poker (behind Pennsylvania).

Even so, when the first online poker sites do launch in the state, the ability of those sites to join multi-state compacts with others will be a crucial factor affecting the success of Michigan online poker.

Michigan is one of the better States when it comes to opportunities to enjoy live poker games. There are more than 19 casinos, both tribal and State licensed. It was a Canadian casino which kicked off the legislation of State licensed venues back in 1996. The Windsor Casino over the river from Detroit in Ontario was attracting so many visitors (and revenue) that the Michigan government could no longer ignore it.

Recommended Michigan Poker Site

This article covers poker in Michigan in all the possible ways it can be played. First of all below you will find more information on the live poker scene in casino card-rooms. After that a look at home and social poker games can be found. Next up online poker is covered, with a story about how this was outlawed before any other State had even considered it, only for the law to be repealed. Finally you will find some key information from the MI Statute books – clarifying the legal position here.

Live Poker Games In Michigan

Whether you enjoy the luxury surroundings of the MGM Grand Casino poker room in Detroit, or one of the many Tribal casinos with poker games dotted around the State – you really do have a great choice in Michigan. In addition to the 3 main Detroit casinos (MGM, Motor City and Greektown) you can cross the river and find plenty of poker action at the Canadian Windsor casino too.

While some of the smaller tribal outfits only run lower buy-in cash games and weekly tournaments, you can find some higher stakes action in the big casinos here. Events include the popular Mid-States Poker Tour – alongside many local events.

Are Home Games Legal In Michigan?

Real Money Poker Sites Michigan

Whether you can play social home games legally depends entirely on which part of the gambling Statutes you are reading. One part of this specifically exempts these games from the broad definition of illegal gambling activity. At the same time, another part does include them in these definitions.

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As in most States, the key factor is whether there is an individual profiting from running the game. As long as everyone joins as equals, with nobody profiting by taking a rake from pots or charging an entry fee – then the game is tolerated. There is no history of small stakes poker home games being busted in Michigan – though crossing the line into running a game for profit will get you into trouble quickly.

Michigan And Online Poker Games

MI were the very first State to ban gambling using a computer back in 1999. Fortunately for online poker fans, this law was quietly repealed a short time afterwards. Today it is assumed that the broad based ‘everything is illegal unless otherwise specified’ gambling laws do cover internet poker. Michigan has no history of busting internet poker fans. The offshore poker sites who still welcome US players are open to MI residents – many of whom enjoy the cash games and tournaments available there with no problems.

There is little to indicate that Michigan is planning to regulate online poker either within their State borders or in conjunction with other States. MI is not anti-gambling, so the possibility of future regulation remains open. The chances of this State being one of the first are very slim though.

What Do The Michigan Statutes Say?

Each State defines illegal gambling activity in their own way, here in Michigan it is making money from gambling and the ownership of devices which can be used for gambling which will get you into trouble with the law. Poker as a skill game is counted out with the wide definition of using cards. Winning amounts below $50 is exempted, though it is unclear from the legal wording whether this is per hand or per session.

Here is the key wording from the MI Statute books, this is from section 740-314:

…Any person who by playing at cards, dice, or any other game, or by betting or putting up money on cards, or by any other means or device in the nature of betting on cards, or betting of any kind, wins or obtains any sum of money…

As broad definitions of gambling activity go – this one covers just about everything poker related in one go!

Overview Of Michigan Poker – Summing It Up

The combination of 19 tribal casinos and the 3 State licensed venues in Detroit give Michigan residents plenty of choice when it comes to poker rooms. In addition there is the short hop across the river to the Windsor Casino in Ontario freely available. Home games are tolerated here as long as they are social only and nobody is profiting from the games. If your pots are under $50 then you are almost certainly not breaking any laws.

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With a generally gambler-friendly environment, there is a possibility that MI will join a future round of legislation to regulate online poker. There is no indication that this is being discussed at the moment, so the best hope for online poker fans is that Michigan will join a future wave of regulation.