The long-awaited debut of online sports betting and online casino gambling in Michigan took place on Jan. 22, 2021. February marked the first full month of operations for Michigan’s iGaming industry.
The March numbers released by the Michigan Gaming Control Board point to big things for Michigan as a legal online gambling market. Michigan’s online casinos produced just under $88.7 million in March revenue, putting the state among the biggest mobile casino markets in the US.
Online sportsbooks produced just under $360 million in betting handle for March. Michigan’s mobile sports betting apps posted just short of $19 million in March revenue.
Revenues should continue to climb for both online sports betting and casino gaming, as the Great Lakes State looks primed to content as one of the nation’s top iGaming hubs.
Michigan Combined Online Sports Betting And Casino Tax Revenue 2021
Michigan online gambling brought $17,809,428 in state tax revenue to Michigan in March. The majority of that total came from Michigan’s online casino revenue, which yielded $88.7 million in adjusted receipts and produced $17,273,498 in tax revenue for the state.
Michigan mobile sports betting revenue turned the corner into profitability in March, adding $535,930 in online sports betting tax revenue for the state. Since launching on Jan. 22, combined state tax revenue from all online gaming platforms totals more than $36 million so far.
Michigan Monthly Online Sports Betting Handle 2021
Betting handle represents the total of all wagers placed at Michigan’s online sportsbooks for the month.
The second full month of operations for Michigan’s mobile sports betting industry produced $359,450,162 million in wagering handle from online sportsbooks. That figure puts Michigan among the top US mobile sports betting markets.
FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, and DraftKings Sportsbook emerged as the top contenders for the No. 1 spot in the Michigan mobile sports betting industry in March.
Michigan Monthly Online Sports Betting Revenue 2021
While handle marks the total amount of all bets placed, revenue comes from the amount won by the sportsbooks.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board defines revenue as “Adjusted Gross Sports Betting Receipts.” That figure comes from Gross Sports Betting Receipts minus promo credits (welcome bonuses, pre-launch offers, and other free betting credits awarded to players).
Michigan’s sports betting brands utilized an aggressive customer acquisition strategy leading up to the January 2021 launch. All ten of the mobile sportsbooks that went live on day one offered pre-launch bonuses and new player promotions in some form.
With those promo credits subtracted from the Gross Sports Betting Receipts, Michigan’s mobile sportsbooks posted net revenue losses in both January and February.
That figure moved into the black in March, however, as Michigan’s online sportsbooks posted $18,752,810 in combined adjusted sports betting receipts. Online sports betting revenues will likely continue to climb as the Michigan market matures.
Michigan Online Sports Betting Revenue March 2021*
| MI Sportsbooks | Casino Partner | Online Betting Handle | Adjusted Gross Sports Betting Receipts | Internet Sports Betting State Tax** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FanDuel Sportsbook | MotorCity Casino Hotel | $107,196,819 | $4,995,430 | |
| BetMGM | MGM Grand Detroit | $92,629,052 |
$6,378,487 |
$375,055 |
| DraftKings Sportsbook | Bay Mills Indian Community |
$76,504,589 | $3,672,966 | |
| Barstool Sportsbook | Greektown Casino Hotel | $39,552,903 | $3,583,819 |
$134,122 |
| PointsBet | Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians |
$14,192,739 | -$36,491 | |
| William Hill | Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians |
$10,997,415 |
$127,115 | $10,678 |
| FOX Bet | Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians | $6,997,278 | $137,898 |
$934 |
| BetRivers | Little River Band of Ottawa Indians | $4,769,583 |
-$25,828 |
|
| TwinSpires | Hannahville Indian Community |
$3,185,744 |
-$34,526 |
|
| WynnBET | Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians | $2,249,239 | $243,420 |
$15,141 |
| Golden Nugget Sportsbook | Keweenaw Bay Indian Community |
$789,792 |
$3,056 |
|
| Four Winds Sportsbook | Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians |
$385,009 |
-$64,258 |
|
| Totals | $359,450,162 |
$18,981,089 | $535,930 |
**tribal casinos pay 8.4% state tax; commercial casinos pay 5.88% state tax and 2.62% city tax
Michigan’s mobile sports wagering industry posted the first month of positive net revenues in March. The state’s dozen online sportsbooks produced just under $19 million in revenue, with the state collecting $535,930 in taxes.
MGM Grand posted March’s top monthly revenue totals, but Michigan shapes up as one of the most competitive online sports betting markets in the US. FanDuel, DraftKings, and Barstool all netted at least $3.5 million in March revenue and the competition among mobile sportsbooks should lead to a thriving market in Michigan.
Michigan Monthly Online Casino Tax Revenue 2021
The state taxes online casino revenue using a tiered system, and all mobile casino operators pay somewhere in the range of 20-28% for Internet Gaming State Tax Payment.
Michigan’s 11 mobile casinos combined to produce $17,273,498 in state tax revenue for February. BetMGM Casino led all Michigan online platforms in terms of market share in February and generated $6,035,392 in taxes for the state.
Michigan Monthly Online Casino Revenue 2021
With $88.7 million in adjusted gross receipts, the performance of Michigan’s online casinos in Marcg puts the state in a position to compete at the top of the US online casino industry.
For perspective, New Jersey, the top online casino market in the US, saw its mobile casino platforms earn $113.67 million in March. Pennsylvania. the No. 2 US online casino market, earned $97.7 million in February revenues.
Michigan’s second full month of mobile casino operations wasn’t far off from those marks, impressive considering the status of the state as a brand new iGaming market. Online casino gaming is an overwhelming success in Michigan so far, as March’s numbers confirm.
Michigan Online Casino Revenue By Operator March 2021*
| MI Online Casinos | Casino Partner | Adjusted Gross Receipts | Online Casino State Payment** |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM | MGM Grand Detroit |
$30,792,815 |
$6,035,392 |
| FanDuel Casino | MotorCity Casino Hotel | $17,031,507 | $3,338,175 |
| DraftKings Casino | Bay Mills Indian Community |
$14,901,711 | $3,337,983 |
| BetRivers | Little River Band of Ottawa Indians | $6,059,759 | $1,136,362 |
| PokerStars Casino | Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians | $5,198,140 | $1,016,949 |
| WynnBET | Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians | $3,985,669 |
$684,507 |
| Barstool Casino | Greektown Casino Hotel | $3,472,495 | $537,256 |
| Golden Nugget | Keweenaw Bay Indian Community | $3,076,170 |
$515,891 |
| TwinSpires | Hannahville Indian Community | $1,965,261 |
$314,441 |
| Four Winds Casino | Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians | $1,644,962 | $263,194 |
| William Hill Casino | Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians |
$583,418 | $93,347 |
| Totals | $88,711,907 |
$17,273,498 |
**online casino revenue taxed at 20-28% based on earnings
Eleven different online casinos were live in Michigan as of the end of March. Michigan’s second full month in the legal US market saw the state’s mobile casino apps earn $88,711,907 in monthly revenue.
BetMGM, FanDuel Casino, and DraftKings Casino have emerged as the top three online casinos among Michigan players so far. Ten of the state’s 11 mobile casinos experienced month-to-month revenue gains, and combined revenue increased 18% from February to March.
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