Michigan’s players have spoken, and the launch of legal online casinos and sports betting apps in the Great Lakes State stands as a major success so far.
Michigan’s online casinos followed up on a strong March performance, and once again topped the $88 million revenue mark in April. With the US sports calendar calming down a bit after the conclusion of March Madness, Michigan’s mobile sports betting apps still generated nearly $250 million in betting handle, and finished with net positive combined Michigan online gambling revenue for the second consecutive month.
Still in its infancy, the Michigan legal iGaming market appears primed to contend as one of the nation’s biggest hubs for online casino gaming and sports betting.
MICHIGAN ONLINE CASINO REVENUE April 2021*
| MI Online Casinos | Casino Partner | Adjusted Gross Receipts | Online Casino State Payment** |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM | MGM Grand Detroit |
$36,813,468 |
$7,215,440 |
| FanDuel Casino | MotorCity Casino Hotel | $14,103,720 |
$2,764,329 |
| DraftKings Casino | Bay Mills Indian Community |
$13,967,664 |
$3,128,757 |
| BetRivers | Little River Band of Ottawa Indians | $5,990,956 |
$1,328,896 |
| PokerStars Casino | Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians | $4,274,196 |
$957,420 |
| Golden Nugget | Keweenaw Bay Indian Community | $3,511,340 | $633,881 |
| WynnBET | Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians | $3,449,005 |
$650,993 |
| Barstool Casino | Greektown Casino Hotel | $3,056,425 |
$530,761 |
| TwinSpires | Hannahville Indian Community | $1,574,759 | $262,541 |
| Four Winds Casino | Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians | $1,561,629 |
$249,861 |
| William Hill Casino | Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians |
$403,861 |
$64,618 |
| PlayGunLake.com | Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi Indians | $162,083 | $25,933 |
| Totals | $88,869,106 | $17,813,430 |
**online casino revenue taxed at 20-28% based on earnings
Michigan’s online casinos generated $88.7 million in March revenue, and April revenue came in at almost that exact same figure. The Michigan Gaming Control Board reported $88,869,106 in combined adjusted gross receipts (AGR) for April.
One new online casino, PlayGunLake.com, debuted in Michigan in April, bringing the total number of operating mobile casino apps to 12. BetMGM has emerged as the clear market leader in Michigan, generating more than $36.8 million in April AGR.
If Michigan continues to post $88 million revenue months for the rest of the year, the state’s online casino industry will come close to clearing the $1 billion annual revenue mark for 2021. While BetMGM rules the Michigan online casino landscape, FanDuel Casino and DraftKings Casino are proving popular among Michigan players as well.
MICHIGAN ONLINE SPORTS BETTING REVENUE April 2021*
| MI Sportsbooks | Casino Partner | Online Betting Handle | Adjusted Gross Sports Betting Receipts | Internet Sports Betting State Tax** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FanDuel Sportsbook | MotorCity Casino Hotel | $74,239,234 |
$5,226,606 |
$0 |
| DraftKings Sportsbook | Bay Mills Indian Community | $61,541,946 | $998,295 | $0 |
| BetMGM | MGM Grand Detroit | $54,913,413 |
$3,783,311 | $222,459 |
| Barstool Sportsbook | Greektown Casino Hotel | $24,836,953 |
$1,175,293 |
$69,107 |
| PointsBet | Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians |
$14,061,482 |
-$355,073 | $0 |
| William Hill | Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians |
$7,005,547 | -$8,162 |
$0 |
| FOX Bet | Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians | $5,470,631 |
$163,175 |
$13,707 |
| BetRivers | Little River Band of Ottawa Indians | $2,816,096 | -$28,856 | $0 |
| TwinSpires | Hannahville Indian Community |
$1,911,920 | -$12,190 | $0 |
| WynnBET | Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians | $1,857,895 |
$89,902 | $0 |
| Golden Nugget Sportsbook | Keweenaw Bay Indian Community |
$789,792 |
-$43,215 | $0 |
| Four Winds Sportsbook | Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians |
$385,009 |
-$107,524 |
$7,552 |
| Totals | $249,874,968 | $10,881,564 |
$312,824 |
**tribal casinos pay 8.4% state tax; commercial casinos pay 5.88% state tax and 2.62% city tax
Betting handle and revenue dropped month-to-month for Michigan’s online sportsbooks. While the Super Bowl and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament produced big online handle numbers in February ($301,857,054 in mobile wagering handle) and March ($359,450,162), the April numbers reported by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) saw those numbers come back down to Earth just a bit.
The state’s mobile sports betting apps still generated $249,874,968 in wagers in April, however, as Michigan continues to stand among the nation’s strongest sports betting markets.
The competition at the top of the Michigan sports wagering industry is fierce. FanDuel Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, and BetMGM combined to take 76.3% of all online sports bets in Michigan in April.
Barstool Sportsbook and PointsBet were also popular choices for Michigan bettors in April. A total of 12 different mobile sports betting apps were available in Michigan as of the end of April, and at least three more could join the market at some point per MGCB regulations.
About the Author
