All these things were necessary to convince the Michigan legislature and voters to change Michigan gambling laws. However, this was only after federal intervention through national tribal laws, intense competition from Canadian casinos, and pressure from Native American tribes in the state. The Great Lakes State formally legalized retail casino gambling in 1996. Momentum for legalization finally hit a fever point in the mid-90s. This changed slightly in the early 1990s when Native American tribes were allowed to open casinos on tribal lands.
Michigan residents had to get their gambling fill across the border at Canadian casinos. In fact, almost all forms of gambling were illegal in Michigan for most of the 20th Century. Online gambling has been illegal for much of Michigan’s history. As you would expect from a Midwest state, the history of legal Michigan online casinos is not a very long one.
