Hard Rock Bet has stopped accepting credit cards for deposits on its Michigan sportsbook and iGaming platform, leaving debit cards, bank transfers, PayPal and Venmo as available funding options for customers in the state.
The operator’s help centre says linked credit cards cannot be used through PayPal or Venmo as a workaround, and PayPal deposits must come from a linked bank account. According to PlayMichigan, the change was rolled out in phases across Hard Rock’s US markets over several weeks.
The policy affects one of Michigan’s newer online gambling brands. Hard Rock Bet Casino MI launched in December 2025 through a partnership with the Hannahville Indian Community’s Island Resort & Casino, and Michigan is one of only two markets, alongside New Jersey, where Hard Rock runs both its sportsbook and casino under one login.
A Hard Rock Bet spokesperson told SBC Americas, via PlayMichigan, that the move reflects a broader industry shift toward responsible gaming and alternative payment methods such as debit cards, bank transfers and digital wallets. The report said the change came after Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent letters to operators including Hard Rock Digital urging them to stop accepting credit cards for gambling deposits.
Warren wrote that around 80% of the sports gambling market no longer accepts credit card transactions and said such deposits can be treated as cash advances, which may trigger fees and immediate interest charges that customers do not always realise. Hard Rock Bet now follows DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, bet365 and Caesars Digital in banning the method over the past year, while Fanatics has said it never offered credit card deposits in the US.
The move also fits a wider regulatory trend. The reporting cited states including Massachusetts, Iowa, Tennessee, Colorado, Maine and Virginia as places that already prohibit credit card use for online wagering, while Yahoo separately reported that the Ohio Casino Control Commission proposed outlawing credit card funding of online sportsbook accounts and that some Ohio lawmakers introduced restrictive sports betting-related legislation in April.
For now, Michigan bettors and iGaming players will need to rely on debit cards, bank transfers or e-wallets to deposit funds on Hard Rock Bet. Michigan lawmakers have not proposed a similar ban to date.
