Michigan’s sports betting market saw significant growth across handle and revenue in September.
According to the latest figures from the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) bettors in the state of Michigan wagered just under $386.8m on sports in September.
September’s handle was up from the $208.6m wagered in August and marks the highest handle figure for Michigan’s sports betting market since going live in March 2020.
Up until now, the state’s highest handle figure came in March 2021, when bettors wagered $383.7m on sports.
Meanwhile, sports betting revenue for September amounted to $27.1m, up from the $17.5m generated in August. September’s sports betting revenue figure is currently the third-highest figure so far.
The state’s best month for sports betting revenue came in March 2021 when operators generated $35.2m, followed by June 2021 with $27.2m in revenue.
Operators in the state paid a combined $717,728 in taxes to the state in September.
How did online operators perform?
Online sports betting operators in Michigan processed $354.3m in bets which in turn generated $23.7m in online betting revenue.
DraftKings, which operates in partnership with the Bay Mills Indiana Community, processed $106.9m in bets, making the US sportsbook the most popular operator in the state in September. This led to the operator posting a gross revenue of $3m.
FanDuel, which is partnered with MotorCity Casino, took second place with $82m in online bets and $7.2m in gross sports betting revenue.
BetMGM, which operates in partnership with MGM Grand Detroit, followed with $81.8m in online wagers and $8.8m in gross online sports betting revenue.
Penn National Gaming’s Barstool Sportsbook came in a distant fourth place with $29.5m in bets and $1.6m in gross sports betting revenue.
Caesars, which is partnered with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, rounded out the top five with $24m in online bets and $596,927 in gross revenue.
The only other operator to pass the $10m handle mark was PointsBet, which followed with $13.5m in bets and 1.5m in gross revenue.
What about the land-based sportsbooks?
Turning to the state’s physical sportsbooks, Detroit’s three commercial casinos processed a total of $32.5m in bets and posted gross revenue of $3.4m.
The MGM Grand Detroit and BetMGM dominated the land-based space with $13.2m in wagers and $1.3m in gross revenue.
The Greektown Casino and its Barstool sportsbook followed with just under $12m in bets and $883,813 in gross revenue. Meanwhile, Motorcity Casino and FanDuel generated $1.2m in revenue from $7.3m in bets.
Sports betting in Michigan
In December 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Michigan’s sports betting legislation into law.
Michigan’s land-based sports betting market went live in March 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the market got off to a slow start due to the venue closures and the suspension of most major sporting events.
In January 2021, the state gave online sports betting and online casino operators the green light to launch and begin taking bets. Most of the state’s legal betting operators launched their sportsbooks and online casinos on the same day.