As the National Football League returned in September, so did some heavy sports betting at the Detroit casinos.
Patrons risked $32.5 million in the month, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board during its regular meeting.
The month-to-month rise in Michigan sports betting handle was a whopping 99.7% from August, when bettors wagered $16.3 million on sports at Greektown Casino, MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino.
The Detroit sports betting handle was the second highest of the calendar year, trailing only January ($35.7 million). The September sports betting handle slightly trailed last September’s ($33.5 million), when online sports betting was not yet available and with Michigan casinos operating at a reduced capacity because of COVID-19 restrictions.
During August, only a sprinkling of college football games kicked off. This past month featured NCAA football betting in full gear and a nearly full slate of the NFL regular season, the most popular sport to wager on in America.
The totals don’t include figures from online sports betting, which can now be done statewide. Those September totals could arrive later this week.
MGM Grand Detroit retakes sports betting handle lead
BetMGM Sportsbook at MGM Grand Detroit had a huge month in September, leading the market by taking $13.2 million in sports bets. That effort was good for a 40.5% market share.
Barstool Sportsbook at Greektown Casino had been dominating the market lately. Barstool took the most bets in July and August, earning a 46.9% market share in July and then 54.0% in August.
For September, Greektown was second with $12.0 million, a 36.8% share. FanDuel Sportsbook at MotorCity Casino was third at $7.4 million (22.7% share).
Licensee | Retail Handle | Revenue (GGR) | Promos | State Tax | Local Tax |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MGM Grand | $13,168,397 | $1,338,540 | $2,723 | $50,700 | $61,966 |
Greektown | $11,982,901 | $883,813 | $0 | $33,408 | $40,832 |
MotorCity | $7,377,190 | $1,237,488 | $0 | $46,777 | $57,172 |
Total | $32,528,487 | $3,459,841 | $2,723 | $130,885 | $159,970 |
$290k paid by Detroit casinos in September taxes from sports betting
The sports betting haul spurred $130,885 in taxes paid to the state of Michigan and $159,970 to the city of Detroit.
For the year, the three casinos have combined to pay $720,450 in taxes to Michigan and $880,549 to Detroit.
In addition, the state has garnered more than $3.9 million in tax revenue from the $1.88 billion wagered in online sports betting through August. Detroit operators have also paid $2.2 million to the city from online betting.