At PlayMichigan, our goal is to provide you with the most comprehensive and trustworthy Michigan online gambling reviews. The Great Lakes State offers a plethora of options, and it can be hard to parse the best from the rest. That’s where we come in—our local experts download, test, and review Michigan online gambling apps in depth so you can be sure you’re picking the best and most trusted platforms.
Our Michigan experts
Our primary testers right now are Drew Ellis, PlayMichigan Lead Writer, and Dave Briggs, PlayMichigan Managing Editor.
Ellis has lived in Michigan for his entire life and follows the Michigan online gambling industry more closely than anyone, which makes him uniquely qualified for this role. There is not a more trustworthy person to evaluate these types of apps and sites than Ellis, who is looking at the platforms daily.
Briggs, meanwhile, has covered sports and gambling over the last 25 years, winning various journalism awards. He is an industry veteran who has great sources and connections across the online gambling scene, including with online casino and sports betting operators. His institutional knowledge is a great asset to our review process.
The importance of trustworthy reviews
Michigan plays host to 15 legal online casinos and 14 online sportsbooks. It’s crucial for players to have unbiased and thoughtful reviews written by actual Michiganders who have used the platforms.
Not every online casino or sportsbook works the same, and they aren’t all a perfect fit for every player. Is one casino better for new players while another is ideal for seasoned table game fans? Perhaps some online casinos outdo the competition by providing the most trusted payment options or quicker withdrawals.
Further, reviews should come from someone who has actually played at the site so they can accurately reflect the user experience. Our experts give you hands-on Michigan online casino, sportsbook and poker reviews so you know exactly what you’re getting when you sign up or sign in.
What sets our reviews apart
We believe our reviews are the best in the business for many reasons, but most of those reasons fall under three categories.
Actual players writing actual reviews: Our experts are located in Michigan, so they go hands-on with every operator we review. This allows us to write comprehensive reviews based on real experiences in Michigan.
Thorough and impartial: We look at every online gambling site we review in extraordinary depth, covering all aspects players may encounter. Plus, we’re honest and impartial in our opinions. Our reviewers will tell you if something about an online casino doesn’t hit quite right, just as they’ll tell you when a platform does something well.
Always up to date: Our reviews don’t end when they’re published. We regularly revisit our Michigan online casino, sportsbook and poker reviews and discuss new games, technology updates, and anything else that might’ve changed.
Below, slide right to see our step-by-step review process and criteria.
Play Michigan's step-by-step review process
Registration process, depositing
We start right at the beginning. How easy is it to find an online casino and/or download the app? From there, we go through the entire sign-up process and outline how it works. Here, we note any issues with the process or steps that could be easier.
We also carefully review every online casino’s identification requirements so you can be completely prepared when you sign up.
We also give better scores to operators who process deposits instantly and via a variety of payment methods.
Additionally, we seek out casinos and sportsbooks with low minimum deposits and high maximums so you have flexibility when adding money into your account.
Game selection & software providers
As one might expect, this category is a huge part of our review process. Online gambling sites are meant to be fun places where you can find all sorts of entertainment. The variety and quality of that entertainment must be incredible. We evaluate every aspect of every online casino’s game library: variety, game types, how smoothly the games run, which providers offer their titles, and much more.
While we can’t test each game individually, reviewers at PlayMichigan always try a few to get a sense of how well the casino runs and how good the graphics are.
Bonuses & promotions
This portion of our Michigan reviews always starts with the welcome bonus. We look for a few key factors in a new player promotion:
- Dollar amount
- Bonus type (deposit match, losses back, no deposit bonus, free spins, etc.)
- Playthrough requirement
- Deadline to claim
Once we explain the welcome bonus, we turn to ongoing promotions at an online casino. These can include seasonal offers, free spins, “bet & get” bonuses, sweepstakes, free daily games, and many others. Beyond the flashy advertised offers, we also dive deeper, analyzing the terms and conditions so you know how to claim a bonus.
Mobile, overall user experience
We’re in the digital age, and our Michigan reviews reflect that. In this category, we’re looking for a few key things: ease of download, app speed, and overall user experience.
All of those criteria are important, but the user experience piece is the biggest. A Michigan online casino should be easy to navigate with intuitive menus and short loading times for games.
And we conclude our reviews with a high-level look at the casino overall. This section is typically a blend of all the categories above, summarizing the pros and cons. If you’re already familiar with Michigan online casinos and sportsbooks, this section will give you an at-a-glance look at the operator we’re reviewing without all the nitty gritty.
Withdrawal process
Similar to the deposit section above, we look for numerous things when testing withdrawals for Michigan reviews.
We test the withdrawal process, looking for the following factors:
- Available methods
- Processing time
- Fees
- Minimums and maximums
Again, variety is important here. The more options a player has, the better. Plus, online casinos should make withdrawals easy. One pet peeve of many a reviewer is when online operators hide the withdrawal option behind a few clicks or menus.
Customer support, responsible gambling tools
Players who encounter issues with online casinos should have various avenues for assistance. We give each customer support method a try, noting the hours of availability, response time, and the quality of help received.
Online operators are also required to offer certain responsible gambling features, but we take things a step further and look for additional options players have in Michigan. These can include links to support groups, self-exclusion options, customizable deposit limits, and others.
Our most popular reviews
Highlighting pros and cons
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you like playing at online casinos or, at the very least, are curious about them. We feel the same—we enjoy playing online casino games responsibly. For this reason, we tend to highlight the positives of any online casino we review.
However, we don’t shy away from weaknesses. We’ll always touch on improvement areas for an online operator in our review.
How PlayMichigan updates and maintains review accuracy
Michigan online reviews aren’t a one-and-done process for us. Instead, we consistently revisit apps and sites to check for new features, app updates, and other new factors that may make the experience better (or, in some unfortunate cases, worse).
We reflect such changes in our updated reviews so you always have the latest information about an operator.
Our affiliate disclosure
Online gambling affiliates partner with gambling platforms to provide reviews, exclusive bonuses, and other information directly to players. Catena Media (which operates PlayMichigan) is an affiliate. This means we may earn commissions from certain links or referrals. However, our affiliate status never influences our content, recommendations, or the overall integrity of our review process.
Our readers can benefit from our affiliate status. We offer exclusive bonus codes, insights, and promotions that you may not be able to find anywhere else.
Michigan review process FAQ
Why are local reviewers important?
Local reviewers are important because they can provide a firsthand experience of what an online operator is like. Our Michigan experts have tested online gambling platforms at length.
How often do you update your reviews?
Generally, we aim to update reviews on a weekly or monthly basis, covering new games, added features, or the latest news about an online gambling platform.
Are the reviews influenced by the casinos?
No. All of our Michigan online casino reviews are impartial and based solely on our reviewers’ experience with the site. The only parts of our reviews impacted by our affiliate status are welcome bonuses; we get access to exclusive offers and can bring them directly to players via our reviews.
How can readers provide feedback on a particular review?
Our contact information is available on our About/Contact page.
Why should Michigan players trust PlayMichigan over other review sites?
PlayMichigan writers are based in Michigan, so they bring local expertise to every review. Plus, our reviewers have years of experience in the online casino and gambling industry. We know what to look for and what makes a good online casino or sportsbook.