Everything You Want to Know about Indian Casinos in Michigan [2024]

Map of All the Tribal Casinos in Michigan

Below find all the tribal casino in Michigan on one convenient map:

As part of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) passed by Ronald Reagan on October 17, 1988, the National Indian Gaming Commission was created. The primary role of this body is to regulate all gaming taking place on tribal lands, while also protecting these casinos from exploitation.

In order for a tribe to operate a casino under the IGRA, they must first be recognized by the federal government. At the time of writing, there are 573 sovereign tribal nations recognized in the USA, including 12 Michigan Indian reservations.

Tribes in the Great Lake State have agreements with the local government, known as compacts. These dictate what a tribe may and may not do in a casino on their lands, including the type of games permitted. But they also set out the revenue share agreements and other operating conditions, including responsible gambling requirements.

Michigan Tribal Compacts

Since the passing of the IGRA, three sets of tribal-state gaming compacts have been agreed. The first compact was arranged in 1993, under which the following tribes were allowed to operate casino gaming:

• Bay Mills Indian Community
• Hannahville Indian Community
• Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
• Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
• Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
• Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe
• Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa

All of the casinos in Upper Michigan operate under the 1993 compact. Later, the 1988 compact was agreed with four more tribes on the lower peninsula:

• Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
• Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians
• Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians
• Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

And finally, a compact from 2007 permits the Gun Lake Band of Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi Indians to operate. This particular compact requires participants in Class III gaming to be 21 years of age. All prior agreements allow players to gamble from the age of 18.

Gaming Classes

There are three gaming categories within the tribal game framework:

Michigan Tribal Gambling Revenue Sharing and Economic Impact

As per the agreed compacts, tribes must share 2% of their gaming revenue with local government units. According to figures published in April 2023, the tribal casinos have contributed over $614 million since commencing operations in 1993.

Approximately $30 million is raised every year in this fashion, with the Saginaw Chippewa tribe contributing a little over one-fifth of that figure alone. The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi are not far behind, having raised just under $6.2 million in 2022, for example.

Those sites operating under the 1998 compacts must also pay between 8% and 12% of their annual net win to the state. Of the 1993 compacts, only the Keweenaw Bay and Hannahville communities pay additional state revenues. The former contributes 8% of revenue to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Michigan Strategic Fund. While the latter provides between 2% and 7% to those same bodies.

Just under $52.8 million was paid into the Michigan Strategic Fund by tribal casinos in 2022 alone.

Economic Benefits

These contributions offer an especially important revenue stream to tribal governments, which in turn benefits the local economy. Not only through investment in schools, health and general infrastructure, but the casinos themselves have created plenty of jobs. Approximately 38,000 people are employed by Michigan’s 26 casinos, all of whom pay income tax.

In total, it’s thought that casino gaming benefits the state to the tune of $6.3 billion annually. And given that just three of Michigan’s casinos are not on tribal lands, the impact of Indian casinos is clear.

Responsible Gambling in Tribal Casinos

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) requires commercial casinos in the state to offer a self-exclusion program. However, no such obligation exists for those found on Indian reservations, with the exception of the one tribe operating under the 2007 compact. But despite the lack of a legal requirement, most do offer such a program voluntarily, including self-exclusion programs in Michigan tribal casinos and responsible gambling resources.

Similarly, the three commercial casinos in Detroit are required to contribute funds to help combat problem gambling and assist affected players. In fact, $2 million annually is deposited into a Compulsive Gaming Prevention Fund. But again, the tribal casinos are not required to pay into such statewide programs.

It’s technically legal to play Class III games at 18, depending on the compacts involved. Yet despite this, all tribal casinos are restricted to 21 year old players. This is most likely due to the fact that all sites offer alcohol and the legal drinking age in Michigan is 21. Some Indian casinos in the Great Lake State offer free or discounted alcoholic drinks to players.

The History of Tribal Casinos in Michigan

Although the IGRA came into effect in October 1988, legal tribal casinos didn’t appear in Michigan until 1993. Let’s take a look at the history of Native American casinos in the Great Lake State.

In Summary

Since the first legal tribal casinos opened in 1993, their importance to Michigan’s economy cannot be overstated. The earliest attempts to open casinos on Indian lands came in the early 1980s, out of desperation at the time of a crippling recession. But today, both the casino industry and the wider Michigan economy are booming.

The vast majority of casinos in the Great Lake State are tribal – 23 out of 26, in fact. The three exceptions, all found in Detroit, fall under the control of the Michigan Gaming Control Board. But tribal casinos are regulated by the National Indian Gaming Commission.