What To Know About Michigan’s Legal Gambling Age And Playing Online

Written By Matt Schoch on November 19, 2020Last Updated on June 8, 2022
legal gambling age

The legal gambling age in Michigan is not always what it seems.

With 23 tribal casinos across Michigan, three commercial casinos in Detroit, and online gambling in full force in the state, the legal age to bet ranges from 18 to 21.

In fact, many of the state’s tribal gaming facilities have a lower age for entrance than Detroit’s do.

But although Central Michigan University students can gamble at Soaring Eagle Casino Resort in Mount Pleasant at 18 years old, those same students cannot activate online casino accounts.

Here are the nuts and bolts of legally gambling in-person and online in Michigan.

How old do I have to be to gamble online in Michigan?

The legal gambling age at Detroit casinos has always been 21.

That’s true for Greektown Casino, MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino, which are regulated by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

Since MI online gambling is governed by the MGCB, too, the legal gambling age for Michigan online players has a similar 21-and-older age requirement.

Online operators that partnered with any of Michigan’s 12 federally recognized tribes still face this same age requirement.

Legal Michigan online gambling sites for ages 21 and up

What’s the legal gambling age for Michigan tribal casinos?

Because tribes are sovereign entities and not overseen by the MGCB, each tribe sets its own in-person age limits. So the age varies based on the tribe.

What casinos in Michigan are age 18 and up?

  • Bay Mills Casino, Brimley
  • Island Resort Casino, Harris
  • Leelanau Sands Casino, Peshawbestown
  • Little River Casino Resort, Manistee
  • Kewadin Casinos, Christmas, Hessel, Manistique, Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace
  • Northern Waters Casino Resort, Watersmeet
  • Ojibwa Casinos, Baraga and Marquette
  • Saganing Eagles Landing Casino, Standish
  • Soaring Eagle Casino Resort, Mount Pleasant
  • Turtle Creek Casino, Williamsburg

What casinos in Michigan have a 19-year-old age requirement?

  • Odawa Casino, Petoskey

How many Michigan tribal casinos do you have to be 21 to enter?

  • FireKeepers Casino, Battle Creek
  • Four Winds Casinos, Dowagiac, Hartford, and New Buffalo
  • Gun Lake Casino, Wayland
  • Odawa Casino, Mackinaw City

How old do I have to be to gamble legally in Canada?

Meanwhile, the legal gambling age in Canada is 19.

Prior to coronavirus restrictions shutting down the US/Canada border, college-aged Michiganders could cross the border to play at neighboring Canadian casinos. Limited re-entry access for border crossings resumed in August 2021.

Those casinos include Caesars Windsor, Starlight Casino Point Edward near Sarnia, and Gateway Casinos in the Ontario portion of Sault Ste. Marie.

Photo by Dreamstime stock
Matt Schoch Avatar
Written by

Matt Schoch

A Michigan native, Matt has worked at newspapers in Michigan, Missouri and the Virgin Islands. A versatile sports reporter, Matt has covered sailing on the Great Lakes, cricket in the Caribbean, high school and pro playoffs, and the Olympics in Rio. He’s also the former host of the Locked On Pistons Podcast and producer of a documentary on Emoni Bates. A former blackjack dealer, Matt has studied the industry from all sides.

View all posts by Matt Schoch