Michigan has earned an F-minus for online gambling addiction protections, with CASPR ranking the state 49th out of 52 states and territories and giving it an 11/100 score in its March review.
The Oakland Press, citing the same CASPR assessment, said Michigan pulled in $624.6 million from online gambling last year while allocating $9.5 million to gambling addiction services this year.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed a per-wager tax in her executive budget proposal, but the Michigan Legislature stripped the per-wager tax from the state budget in a bipartisan vote. The House and Senate then passed budget legislation that excluded the per-wager levy.
CASPR recommended legislation to prevent gamblers from using credit cards on gambling apps, and the Oakland Press said other states including Iowa, Massachusetts, and Tennessee prohibit credit cards on sports betting apps.
The Oakland Press also reported that some major operators have moved to limit credit-card funding. DraftKings stopped accepting credit cards in August 2025, FanDuel stopped accepting credit cards on March 2, and BetMGM said it would begin phasing out credit card payments on March 31.
On the state’s current tools, CASPR’s scorecard said Michigan’s problem gambling hotline is publicly advertised but is a “low-efficacy intervention.” It also described Michigan’s self-exclusion approach as “low-efficacy” when it is not integrated into the gambling user flow.
The Oakland Press further reported that, according to CASPR, Michigan allows online gaming platforms to offer bets even to people exhibiting addictive behaviors.
Concern about access to betting is paired with concern about demand for help. The story said thousands of calls come in every year to Michigan’s gambling addiction helpline, and that Michigan fielded 3,393 gambling-related calls to its Gambling Disorder Helpline in the prior year, according to a public records request.
Karley Abramson, a research associate at the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, said Michigan should implement additional guardrails because “We have no reason to think that this will just be solved on its own.”
The Oakland Press said bankruptcy attorneys are seeing more cases tied to online gaming, including a Detroit client with nearly $200,000 in debt and another who wagered $20,000 on single football games.
The story quoted Abramson describing how easy it is to keep betting, saying, “It’s just on our phones, readily available, limitless.” It also reported that SMU researchers found calls to gambling helplines nationwide increased 75% after the legalization of online sports betting.
Researchers cited by UC San Diego Today reported a 37% increase in Michigan gambling addiction-related searches after sportsbooks opened in the state. The same UC San Diego Today report said internet searches for help with gambling addiction increased 23% nationally through June 2024, corresponding to roughly 6.5 to 7.3 million searches, with about 180,000 monthly searches at a peak.
Michigan’s self-exclusion measures are also rising, though CASPR’s assessment remains critical. The Oakland Press said the Responsible Gaming Database has been in place since 2021, with self-exclusions rising each year to 1,644 individuals on the self-exclusion list for online gambling in 2025, up from 78 in 2021.
For in-person gambling, the Oakland Press said Michigan’s Disassociated Persons List for Detroit casinos began in 2001 and has 4,244 people self-excluded from in-person gambling at the Detroit casinos.
On advertising, the Oakland Press reported that State Sen. Erika Geiss introduced bills in November to tighten regulations, including a ban on targeted gambling advertisements to individuals younger than 21. Geiss said gambling marketing tactics “mirror[s] the tactics that cigarette companies used to make their product seem cool and appeal to underage people.”
BetMGM announced it would begin phasing out credit card payments on March 31.
