Michigan Tribes Halt Casino Payments to State Over Gaming Expansion Concerns

Michigan’s gaming tribes have significantly reduced their payments to the state over the past few years. In 2022, tribes paid $52.8 million, but by 2025, this amount had dropped to $15.4 million, a 71% decrease. This decline is due to tribes withholding revenue-share payments, a move they attribute to the state’s gaming expansion, which they argue erodes the exclusivity guaranteed to them. The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians plans to stop payments from the tribe’s Four Winds casinos. The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, the tribe behind FireKeepers Casino, began withholding payments in February. The Gun Lake Tribe stopped payments in 2025, and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians ceased payments in 2023.

Despite these concerns, tribal groups are still involved in online gaming. The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians has an agreement with bet365. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians are partnered with Caesars.