Michigan Horse Racing Betting

The Michigan horse racing betting industry is limited in scope relative to other states, but residents do not suffer a complete lack of wagering options. Licensed horse betting sites and Northville Downs both provide safe, legal wagering on races held in Michigan and elsewhere.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) is the state’s regulatory body over horse racing. MGCB duties include issuing licenses to tracks and advance deposit wagering providers (ADWs), collecting tax revenue, monitoring the conduct of parimutuel wagering in Michigan, and more.

Michigan legalized horse racing in 1933, and more recent updates to the law established a formal licensing process for advance deposit wagering (online betting). Major ADWs that offer their services in Michigan provide betting on races held worldwide in an environment that is legal and safe.

Michigan Horse Racing Betting Sites

DRF Bets$200 Deposit BonusDRFBets Promo Code: STAKESGet Bonus

Michigan Online Horse Betting Apps

State law requires all mobile horse racing betting sites and mobile apps to acquire licenses from the Michigan Gaming Control Board. A small number of providers have successfully applied for licenses and now offer their services to customers who are 18 or older, residents of Michigan, and located within state lines.

DRF Bets Michigan

DRF Bets is a well-established horse racing betting site and the product of DRF.com, a longstanding industry news, analysis, and past performances publisher. Michigan bettors cannot go wrong with DRF Bets, which boasts a clean interface, full wagering menu, and an excellent cashback rewards program.

TVG Michigan

TVG is a mainstay in horse racing betting, named after the TVG horse racing network. The name holds a favorable reputation among customers and provides a full menu of horse racing betting, frequent promotions, and live streaming racing video plus content from the TVG network.

Xpressbet Michigan

Xpressbet offers legal horse racing betting in Michigan, with a menu of more than 300 tracks plus live racing video and advanced handicapping tools at hand. New customers can visit Xpressbet to claim a generous welcome bonus and take advantage of an extensive rewards program that offers wagering credits, consumer tech gifts, exclusive VIP experiences, and more.

NYRA Bets Michigan

NYRA Bets acquired a Michigan advance deposit wagering license in 2021 as the state’s newest operator. The New York Racing Association operates NYRA Bets and brings significant pari-mutuel wagering experience to Michigan. In addition to NYRA Bets, the NYRA operates Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course.

Michigan Horse Racetracks

Michigan was formerly home to numerous horse race tracks, but declining revenues have resulted in all but one closing permanently.

The decline of Michigan horse racing can be partially attributed to a 2004 measure requiring new gambling ventures to be approved by voters in local and statewide votes. However, the Michigan horse racing betting industry has experienced a resurgence of late thanks to significant increases in funding from expanded gaming.

Northville Downs

310 S Center Street
Northville, MI 48167

Northville Downs operates as Michigan’s only active racetrack and hosts two live harness racing meets each year. The first runs from March through June and the second from October through December. Live racing at Northville Downs kicks off each Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM.

In 2020, the MGCB approved a partnership between TVG and Northville Downs to offer mobile horse racing betting. That same year, the MGCB approved a similar partnership between Northville Downs and Churchill Downs Inc.

The approvals came while Northville Downs’ simulcasting center was closed due to COVID-19 and was therefore an important victory for the track’s financial prospects. According to MGCB reports, Northville Downs generated the vast majority of its parimutuel wagering handle via simulcasting even before it partnered with TVG and Churchill Downs for advance deposit wagering.

Sports Creek Raceway (Closed)

4290 Morrish Road
Swartz Creek, MI 48473

Sports Creek Raceway was a racetrack in Swartz Creek near Flint that closed in 2015. AmRace & Sports LLC purchased the track in 2018 and attempted to renovate the facility ahead of a 2020 or 2021 reopening.

However, AmRace has delayed its reopening plans multiple times as the firm lobbies the Michigan legislature to authorize historical horse racing machines that function similarly to slots. AmRace has called the devices “absolutely critical” for the future of horse racing in Michigan.

Hazel Park Raceway (Closed)

1650 E 10 Mile Road
Hazel Park, MI 48030

Hazel Park Raceway offered thoroughbred horse racing, harness racing, and parimutuel wagering from 1949 until its permanent closure in 2018. The facility was sold to Ashley Capital and demolished to pave the way for the construction of a sprawling industrial warehouse.

Mount Pleasent Meadows (Closed)

500 N Mission Road
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858

Mount Pleasant Meadows racetrack opened in 1985 and operated against the odds from the beginning in a town of less than 30,000 and far from any major cities. The track opened as a mixed-breed venue before switching to pure thoroughbred racing in its final years.

Investors pulled their funding in 2013, and the track surrendered its racing license shortly thereafter. Mount Pleasant Meadows operated as a training facility for the next two years and then served a short stint as a snowmobile track.

Michigan Online Horse Racing Betting Law

Michigan formally legalized online horse racing betting in the final days of 2019 by passing HB 4310 to amend the Horse Racing Law of 1995.

US-based ADWs operated openly in Michigan before the passage of the law, but they did so on uncertain legal footing. The implementation of HB 4310 clarified the issue by expressly legalizing advance deposit wagering in Michigan and creating a licensing process for providers.

HB 4310 amended Section 431.308 of the Horse Racing Law to establish “third party facilitator licenses” for online betting operators. The MGCB later issued an order providing additional details related to licensing conditions and fees.

Key regulations for Michigan ADWs and horse racing betting sites:

  • Operators must submit a plan of operations for approval
  • $1,000 application fee and $500 license renewal fee for operators
  • $500 licensing fee, renewed annually
  • Each prospective advance deposit wagering operator in Michigan must have a joint contract with all race meeting licensees and certified horsemen’s organizations in Michigan before applying for a license
  • Licensed Michigan ADWs “may not sell or share an applicant or account holder’s confidential information” or use it for any purpose other than processing wagers without the customer’s consent

Under the law, licensed Michigan horse racing betting apps may offer wagers on races held in-state or out-of-state. Customers may bet on the Kentucky Derby and other Triple Crown races from anywhere within state lines.

Additional regulations adopted by the Michigan Gaming Control Board provide further details. R 431.5015 states customers must be 18 or older to sign up for online horse betting accounts and requires all licensed online racebooks to collect the following information from customers:

  • Full legal name and address
  • Residential address
  • Phone number
  • Identification that verifies the customer’s age

Michigan Off-Track Betting Locations

Michigan does not have any standalone OTBs, which leaves Northville Downs as the only location with simulcast racing and wagering. Simulcast wagering at Northville Downs covers race tracks across the country and generates significantly more wagering activity than live racing does at the track.

None of Michigan’s casinos offer horse racing betting at this time.

Detroit Horse Racing Betting

Detroit horse racing betting options are limited to licensed ADWs and Northville Downs just west of Detroit in Northville. Detroit’s commercial casinos operate retail sportsbooks but do not offer parimutuel horse racing betting.

The most convenient option for fans in the Detroit area is advance deposit wagering – placing wagers online through licensed betting sites and mobile apps. Several of the country’s major horse racing betting operators accept customers across the state of MIchigan, including Detroit.

Michigan Horse Racing Betting FAQ

State law enforces a minimum age of 18 to bet on horse racing in Michigan.

See the MGCB website here for a current schedule of this year’s races.

Michigan racebooks accept a variety of common deposit methods.

Michigan’s Horse Racing General Rules (R 431.5020) states licensed ADWs may accept deposits via cash, check or money order, electronic funds transfer (echeck), and other methods approved by the MGCB such as PayPal, credit cards, and debit cards.

Michigan is home to two major horse racing associations:

  • Michigan Harness Horsemen’s Association (MHHA)
  • Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (M-TOBA)

Northville Downs features a ½ mile oval track with a 440-foot stretch and a passing lane.

Northville Downs extended its land lease in early 2020 to continue holding harness races through 2024. Northville Downs sold its land to a housing development company in 2018 and initially said it would continue holding races through 2020.

However, the development company had to delay its plans, and Northville Downs was able to extend its lease through 2024. Track operators say they are still eyeing other locations in the Detroit area in the hopes of reopening the track elsewhere after the 2024 season.