How Old Do You Have to Be to Gamble in Michigan?

Online Gambling Age in Michigan

To discuss the Michigan casino age, we need to mention the online gambling aspect and how it is regulated by state law. Firstly, all the online gambling operators that operate within the state of Michigan are obligated to partner with a land-based casino.

We’ve already mentioned that tribal casinos aren’t regulated by the MGCB. However, all online gambling activities in the state are still overseen by the board. That includes cases when the online casino operator is partnered with one of the tribal casinos. According to the Lawful Internet Gaming Act of 2019, the legal online casino age in Michigan is 21.

A person in Michigan needs to be at least 21 to engage in any online gambling activity. The law we’ve mentioned above states that a person can only be considered an authorized participant if they have a valid internet wagering account at an online gambling operator and are at least 21 years of age.

An online operator is required to provide certain mechanisms, such as ID verification, to confirm that a registered user is 21 years of age or older. The law applies to all Michigan online casinos, poker sites, and online sportsbooks. That being said, let’s move on to another topic – how the Michigan Gaming Control Board regulates land-based casinos in Detroit.

Legal Gambling Age for Detroit Casinos

The legal gambling age in Michigan is the same for land-based casinos as it is for online gambling websites. The gambling age for physical casinos is regulated by the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act of 1996. The act states that persons younger than 21 are prohibited from making a wager.

The law currently applies to the three commercial land-based Detroit casinos. Those casinos are MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown. All of these casinos operate according to Michigan state law, meaning that they’re regulated by the MGCB. As a result, only persons 21 years of age or older are allowed to place wagers.

The three Detroit casinos are also hotels, so minors are allowed on the hotel premises, but persons younger than 21 aren’t allowed to enter the gaming floors.

Legal Gambling Age in Michigan Tribal Casinos

We believe the most significant source of the questions around the topic is the tribal casino regulations. Since Native American tribes are sovereign nations, the tribal casinos are overseen by the National Indian Gaming Commission as well as the government of the tribal community. Therefore, tribal casinos aren’t regulated by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

Since the MI tribal casinos have their own regulatory body, they can set different age limits than those of the MGCB-operated casinos. Various casinos owned by different tribes choose different age limits. The age limit in tribal casinos is set to 18 to 21. That means, if you were wondering what casinos are 18 and up in Michigan, here’s the answer – only a certain number of tribal casinos are, unlike, for instance, Nevada, where the legal gambling age in Vegas casinos is 21.

For example, Little River Casino Resort allows players to place wagers from the age of 18. However, a lot of other casinos such as Gun Lake Casino still prohibit persons younger than 21 to place wagers. The FireKeepers age requirement is also 21. Persons under the age of 21 aren’t allowed on the gaming floor or in restaurants that are only accessible through the gaming floor.

Find the full list of legal ages for Michigan tribal casinos below.