The experts at BetMichigan.com have assembled this guide to explain what we mean when we talk about Michigan sports betting financial figures, which include handle, revenue, adjusted gross receipts and tax collections.
Michigan has one of the most expansive menus of legal gambling options in the United States. Michigan has Tribal and commercial casinos; retail and mobile sports gambling; and online casino games (also called iGaming) with options such as slots, table games and internet poker.
Tribal casino gambling in Michigan predated the commercial casinos in Detroit. In 1993, the state signed compacts with several federally recognized tribes in Michigan to conduct Class III gaming on their lands, but some tribal gaming operated even before that time. In 1996, Michigan voters approved commercial casino gambling for Detroit, which allowed for three casinos. They opened from 1999 to 2000.
Near the end of 2019, the state legislature legalized a raft of gambling options, including in-person and online sports gambling, iGaming and fantasy sports. Commercial and tribal casinos could have retail sports betting and Michigan sportsbook apps. The first in-person sports bet was made in March 2020 and online sports gambling launched in early 2021.
|
Total handle |
Mobile handle |
Revenue (GGR) |
April |
$426.994M |
$417.583M |
$27.093M |
March |
$487.163M |
$475.086M |
$15.171M |
Change |
Down 12.4% |
Down 12.1% |
Up 78.6% |
The fourth month of the calendar year delivered its customary mixed bag of results for sports betting operators in Michigan. The state’s sportsbooks combined for a 12.4% month-over-month drop in wagering handle, offset by a 78.6% surge in wagering revenue during April.
Overall, April’s total sports betting handle in the Great Lakes State wound up at $426,993,695, down from March ($487,163,311), according to figures that the Michigan Gaming Control Board reported on May 20. The mobile sports betting handle for Michigan sports betting operators finished April at $417,583,191, down 12.1% from March ($475,085,598). While online wagers dominated the state’s marketplace, April’s retail sports betting handle totaled $9,410,504, down 22.1% from March ($12,077,713).
As far as revenue was concerned, Michigan’s total adjusted sports betting gross gaming figure hit $27,093,172 in April ($26,776,634 online, $316,538 retail), up 78.6% from March’s $15,170,713 (including $14,599,498 online).
That revenue generated a total sports betting state tax bill of $1,429,230 (of which $1,408,954 came from online operators), up 59.8% from March’s $895,644 (including $874,052 online).
When broken down by operator, the top dog (handle wise) in Michigan during April was MotorCity Casino (FanDuel), which finished up at $154,590,485, beating out Bay Mills Indian Community (DraftKings) at $114,931,291. Rounding out the top five were MGM Grand Detroit (BetMGM) at $53,896,159, the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (Fanatics) at $29,348,812 and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (Caesars) with $29,143,638.
In Michigan in 2024, sports betting handle was about $5.5 billion, a 14.6% increase over the 2023 total of $4.8 billion. Adjusted gross sports betting receipts were just above $204 million last year, a 14% dip from the $237.4 million collected at mobile and retail sportsbooks combined in the previous year. Adjusted gross receipts include deductions for the monetary value of free play incentives provided to and waged by bettors. Internet taxes, fees and payments from sports gambling from both Tribal and casino operators were about $14.695 million in 2024.
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The veteran team of Michigan sports betting and casino experts behind BetMichigan.com help you find the best operators in the state.
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