Michigan’s online gambling referrals rose from 398 in FY 2021 to 432 in FY 2025 as self-exclusions reached 1,644

Michigan’s problem gambling data now shows a clear shift toward internet-based play: the share of treatment referrals tied to online gambling climbed from 13% in FY 2021 to 50% in FY 2025, while self-exclusions from iGaming and online sports betting kept rising. For PSPs and operators, that means the state’s responsible gambling stack is no longer a side note; it is part of the operating model.

1. In fiscal year 2021, Michigan referred 398 people for treatment through its problem gambling hotline. About 13% of those individuals said they were struggling with internet gambling options, including internet gaming and online sports betting.
2. The total number of referrals increased to 508 in FY 2022, then moved down to 481 in FY 2023, 468 in FY 2024, and 432 in FY 2025. Over the same period, the share tied to internet gambling options rose from 24% in FY 2022 to 38% in FY 2023, 51% in FY 2024, and 50% in FY 2025.
3. Michigan’s Responsible Gaming Database, created specifically to manage online gaming exclusions, recorded 78 self-exclusions from iGaming in 2021. That figure grew to 343 by the end of 2022, 691 by the end of 2023, 1,156 in December 2024, and 1,644 by the end of 2025.
4. The state says the problem gambling hotline data comes from a third-party provider contracted to operate the hotline and make treatment referrals. Callers either voluntarily disclose the type of gambling causing problems or are asked by hotline staff to provide more details.
5. Joe Maloney, president of the Sports Betting Alliance, said legalization has helped drive more people to seek help because rules and regulations require operators to provide information about problem gambling and responsible gambling resources. Angela Smith-Butterwick, director of the substance use, gambling and epidemiology division at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said online gambling has expanded access for younger people and that smartphone availability can make it easier to start gambling online.

Michigan also launched Don’t Bet on Your Future earlier this year, an educational campaign aimed at explaining the potential risk of gambling to teens.