Want to know where you can bet on horse racing online in Michigan? Here is how advance deposit wagering works in the state, which racebooks take Michigan players, and where the state’s last live harness racing now runs.
In this article 12 sections
- Michigan horse betting offers
- Michigan horse racing betting: the basics
- Is online horse betting legal in Michigan?
- Horse betting sites in Michigan
- Michigan horse racing apps
- Horse racing bonuses in Michigan
- Horse racing tracks in Michigan
- Local and major horse betting events for Michigan players
- Types of horse racing bets in Michigan
- Taxes on horse racing winnings in Michigan
- Responsible horse betting in Michigan
- Michigan horse racing betting in 2027
Michigan horse betting offers
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In Michigan, online horse betting is legal through advance deposit wagering (ADW) providers that hold an agreement with a licensed Michigan racetrack. You can also use simulcast betting at Michigan casinos, most of which are on tribal land alongside the three commercial operations in Detroit. These provide pari-mutuel horse betting in Michigan on races held all across America. Standardbred harness racing is the state’s tradition. If you want to enter a casino in Michigan and place horse racing wagers, you must be at least 21 years old.
Michigan horse racing betting: the basics
| Michigan racebooks: quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Online horse betting (ADW) | Yes, through providers contracted with a licensed Michigan track |
| Regulator | Michigan Gaming Control Board (racing division) |
| Live racing | Northville Downs meet at the Barry Expo Center, Hastings |
| 2026 live dates | 10 race days in September 2026 |
| Legal age | AmWager requires 21+; casinos 21+ |
| Online sports betting and casinos | Legal, age 21+ |
Is online horse betting legal in Michigan?
Yes, though Michigan’s ADW market has had a rocky two years. State rules tie account wagering to live racing in Michigan. When Northville Downs closed its suburban Detroit track in February 2024 and its license expired at the end of that year, the MGCB told ADW operators to stop taking Michigan bets on January 1, 2025.
The pause was short. On January 31, 2025, the MGCB licensed Northville Downs for new Standardbred dates, which revalidated its ADW contracts, and NYRA Bets, FanDuel Racing/TVG and Xpressbet resumed taking Michigan wagers immediately.
TwinSpires took a different route. The MGCB suspended its license in January 2025, and Churchill Downs sued, arguing that the federal Interstate Horseracing Act overrides Michigan’s live-racing requirement. Federal courts have sided with TwinSpires at each stage: Chief District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou granted an injunction, the Sixth Circuit upheld it in December 2025, and the district court granted summary judgment in early 2026. The ruling holds that Michigan cannot regulate interstate off-track wagering on races run elsewhere, though it keeps authority over races run in Michigan.
Horse betting sites in Michigan
The horse betting sites available to Michigan players include AmWager, FanDuel Racing (TVG), NYRA Bets, Xpressbet and TwinSpires. Each provides online wagering on racing in Michigan and well beyond, with pari-mutuel pools at the biggest US tracks.
AmWager. Operated by AmWest Entertainment and licensed by the Oregon Racing Commission as a multi-jurisdictional account wagering provider, AmWager lists Michigan among the states it serves and requires players to be 21 or older. It covers US thoroughbred, harness and quarter horse racing plus international cards.
Read our AmWager review Visit AmWager →
FanDuel Racing (TVG). FanDuel’s racing app, paired with TVG’s television coverage and expert picks. See our TVG racebook review.
TwinSpires. Churchill Downs’ own ADW, the home of Kentucky Derby wagering, still operating in Michigan under the federal court ruling. See our TwinSpires review.
NYRA Bets. The New York Racing Association’s app, strongest on Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct cards. See our NYRA Bets review.
Xpressbet. 1/ST’s racebook, with horse betting on 300+ racetracks in America and international events.
Michigan horse racing apps
There are only a few mobile betting apps for horse racing in Michigan, and all of the ADWs above offer iOS and Android apps with live video and replays.
FanDuel Racing (TVG) brings a streamlined experience to the Great Lakes State, with free picks from experts and data tools to help you handicap. AmWager and TwinSpires both offer handicapping tools, past performances and race replays inside their apps.
Horse racing bonuses in Michigan
There are different offers available for Michigan online horse betting. Popular promos include deposit bonuses, bet-and-get deals and first-bet refunds. With deposit bonuses, the amount you deposit is matched. Bet-and-get deals require a qualifying bet and deposit. Refund offers return a losing first bet, usually as a bonus or wagering credit rather than cash. Check each racebook’s own terms for what applies to Michigan accounts.
Horse racing tracks in Michigan
Michigan once had several tracks for horse betting, but now there is just one license. Northville Downs, which raced harness horses in the Detroit suburbs for 80 years, held its final race at Northville in February 2024. Its license now covers a short meet at the Barry Expo Center at 1350 M-37 Highway in Hastings, Barry County.
The relaunched meet opened on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, with eight races each afternoon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The MGCB’s 2026 calendar lists ten race days in September 2026. Besides on-track pari-mutuel betting, simulcast wagering on action across the US is available at Michigan casinos. Sports Creek Raceway in Swartz Creek, Genesee County, has not hosted live racing for years.
Local and major horse betting events for Michigan players
Michigan’s own racing now amounts to a few weeks of afternoon harness cards at Hastings, so most Michigan bettors play national racing through their ADW. The biggest days on the calendar are the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in May, the Preakness and Belmont Stakes that complete the Triple Crown, Saratoga’s summer meet and the Breeders’ Cup in the fall. Harness fans follow the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands in August and the Little Brown Jug at Delaware, Ohio, in September.
Types of horse racing bets in Michigan
Michigan horse racing betting is pari-mutuel. That means your wagers go into a pool with other bettors, and the payouts are based on how much money is bet on each horse. Through pari-mutuel apps, you can bet on a horse to win, place (first or second) or show (first, second or third).
There are also exotic bets like exactas, quinellas, trifectas and superfectas that involve picking several horses in the same race, and multi-race bets such as the Daily Double and Pick 4 or Pick 5 that require winners across consecutive races. A $1 exacta box on two horses costs $2 and pays if they finish first and second in either order.
Taxes on horse racing winnings in Michigan
You must pay tax on winnings from horse betting in Michigan. Winnings are taxable income at the federal level, and Michigan’s 4.25% state income tax also applies. Large pari-mutuel payouts can trigger a W-2G and federal withholding from the racebook, but every win is reportable, so keep your account history.
Responsible horse betting in Michigan
Set a budget before you play a card and use the deposit limits and time-outs built into every ADW app. If betting stops being fun, Michigan’s Problem Gambling Helpline is free and confidential at 1-800-GAMBLER. Our responsible gambling page has more help, as does GambleAware.org.
Michigan horse racing betting in 2027
Michigan’s appeal options in the TwinSpires case
The courts have ruled that federal law protects interstate ADW wagering from Michigan’s live-racing rule. Whether the state takes the fight further, or rewrites its rules, decides how much control it keeps over online racebooks.
The Hastings meet’s future
Michigan’s ADW contracts for most providers rest on one licensed harness meet. The 2027 race dates the MGCB approves will show whether live racing in the state grows or shrinks.
Ripple effects in other states
The Michigan ruling is being watched in states that restrict ADW, including Texas, where regulators ordered TwinSpires to stop operating in February 2026. More challenges built on the same federal-law argument are likely.
What is the best horse racing betting site in Michigan?
It depends what you bet. Our partner AmWager carries a wide track list at home and abroad, streamed races and an uncluttered bet slip. TwinSpires, owned by Churchill Downs, has deep handicapping content, TVG and FanDuel Racing add television and streaming coverage and NYRA Bets is the home of Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct wagering. Many Michigan players keep two accounts to compare rebates and track coverage.
Is online horse betting legal in Michigan?
Yes. ADW providers with an agreement with a licensed Michigan track can take bets from Michigan residents, and a federal court has ruled TwinSpires can operate under the Interstate Horseracing Act.
Can I bet on the Kentucky Derby from Michigan?
Yes. Licensed ADW apps including AmWager, FanDuel Racing (TVG) and TwinSpires take Michigan bets on the Derby and every other major US race.
Are there any horse racing tracks in Michigan?
One license remains. Northville Downs now races a short harness meet at the Barry Expo Center in Hastings, with ten race days in September 2026.
Do I have to pay tax on horse betting winnings in Michigan?
Yes. Winnings are taxable at the federal level and at Michigan’s 4.25% state income tax rate.
How old do you have to be to bet on horses online in Michigan?
AmWager and most racebooks require you to be 21 or older to open an account.