Record December Lifts Michigan Online Sportsbooks In 2023 Past 2022 Marks

Written By Drew Ellis on January 19, 2024
Detroit Lions fans celebrating. Michigan online sports betting set record in December and for 2023

Michigan sports betting continued its record-setting surge to end 2023 with another record-breaking month in December.

The state took in $613.4 million in wagers, which included a record $583 million in online handle.

With the record handle, the state also brought in a record-setting $65.9 million in sports betting revenue for December. That included $61.1 million in online revenue.

December’s massive online numbers led Michigan to setting yearly records in both handle and revenue despite looking like sports betting had peaked in 2022.

On the year, Michigan online sportsbooks finished with $4.63 billion in wagers and $420.4 million in revenue. It was a 1.8% increase from 2022’s handle of $4.55 billion and a 5.2% increase from 2022’s revenue of $399.6 million.

chart showing Michigan online sports betting handle from 2021 through 2023

December 2023 Michigan sports betting revenue numbers

Here are the top-line numbers for Michigan sports betting in December from the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

  • Handle: $613.4 million ($583 million online)
  • Revenue: $65.9 million ($61.1 million online)
  • Hold: 10.7% (up from 6.3% last month)
  • Month-over-month: Handle increased 5%
  • December sports betting taxes: $2.8 million to the state and $1.2 million to local entities.
  • Top online sports betting app by handleFanDuel Sportsbook MI with $211.5 million
  • Top online sports betting app by revenue: FanDuel Sportsbook MI with $26.4 million

Three takeaways from December Michigan sports betting revenue report

Anchor leg leads 2023 past 2022

The online sports betting race from 2022 to 2023 felt like a relay race.

It was 2022 leading throughout the first three legs, but then 2023 sprinted past on the final leg to set near yearly online records.

Michigan’s online sportsbooks had never recorded $500 million in handle for a single month, yet did so in October, November and December of 2023.

The three months tallied $1.68 billion in handle on their own, accounting for 36.4% of the yearly total. It was also a 17% increase from Q4 of 2022, which had $1.44 billion in handle.

During the Q4 surge, online revenue wasn’t seeing the same climb, as the holds had dipped in October and November. But, the gigantic surge of $61.1 million in online revenue in December pushed the yearly total well past the 2022 mark.

It will be interesting to see if Michigan sports betting can continue this surge into 2024, or will the end of 2023 truly be where online sports betting peaked in the state?

ESPN BET gives PENN another monthly record

ESPN BET had its first full month of operation in December and it’s no surprise that it landed a record month of online handle for PENN Entertainment.

The online operator for Hollywood Casino at Greektown recorded $55.2 million in online handle in December. That was a 10.2% jump from November’s previous record of $49.9 million. ESPN BET launched on Nov. 14 in Michigan.

The record handle led to $5.7 million in revenue. Although, the adjusted gross revenue was still -$4.1 million as ESPN BET continues to see promotions and sign-up bonuses cashed in.

DraftKings records fourth consecutive record month

DraftKings has grown accustomed to new monthly sports betting record in Michigan.

In December, DraftKings Sportsbook MI recorded $169.9 million in handle, a new record by over $18 million from November.

DraftKings closes out 2023 with four consecutive months of $137 million+ in handle. They have set a new personal record for four consecutive months as well.

DraftKings finishes 2023 with $1.26 billion in handle, helping it create a gap from BetMGM Michigan ($774.8 million) for second in the Michigan online sportsbook market. FanDuel still holds a wide gap for first place with $1.6 billion in handle in 2023.

Michigan online sports betting December 2023 revenue by operator

LicenseeOnline BrandHandleRevenueHoldTaxes
MotorCityFanDuel$228,337,658$28,701,54112.6%$2,215,553
Bay MillsDraftKings$169,856,600$17,474,89710.3%$942,907
MGM Grand DetroitBetMGM$80,226,634$8,917,92611.1%$618,158
GreektownESPN$65,254,393$7,838,84912.0%$180,883
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and ChippewaCaesars$34,582,402$874,9162.5%$41,604
Little River Band of OttawaBetRivers$14,049,373$337,5322.4%$0
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior ChippewaPointsBet$10,503,499$1,081,64010.3%$4,913
Sagniaw ChippewaEagle$3,334,909$307,1449.2%$15,178
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of PotawatomiFireKeepers$1,863,794$77,5574.2%$0
HannahvilleSI$1,549,782$105,5696.8%$0
Pokagon Band of PotawatomiFour Winds$1,522,107$53,2403.5%$0
Keweenaw BayGolden Nugget$1,153,811$64,4325.6%$2,504
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of PottawatomiPlay Gun Lake$980,881$89,4819.1%$0
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of ChippewaWynnBet$209,856-$4,404-2.1%$0
Total$613,425,699$65,920,31810.7%$4,021,700
Photo by Vera Nieuwenhuis / AP Photo
Drew Ellis Avatar
Written by
Drew Ellis

Drew Ellis is currently the Lead Writer of PlayILottery.com. He was the former Lead Writer of PlayMichigan, the No. 1 source for online gambling news in Michigan. A lifelong resident of the state, Ellis has been working in various forms of media since 1998, including more than a decade in the sports betting industry prior to transitioning into US casino markets in 2020.

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