The first six months of 2021 sports betting are in the books for Detroit casinos, and the amount wagered has already helped push a tumultuous first year to the back burner.
With Tuesday’s release of sports betting numbers from Detroit’s three casinos by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, $152.6 million of total sports bets were made through June. In comparison, just $130.8 million in bets were made during 2020.
Of course, 2020 made for an inauspicious start for the sector. Five days after launching on-site sports betting at Greektown Casino, MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino, the coronavirus pandemic closed the casinos for nearly five months. The casinos later closed again for much of December.
| Licensee | Retail Handle | Revenue (GGR) | Promos | State Tax | Local Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MotorCity | $8,467,849 | $796,206 | $0 | $30,097 | $36,785 |
| MGM Grand | $8,087,227 | $680,455 | $20 | $25,720 | $31,436 |
| Greektown | $7,823,792 | $819,272 | $0 | $30,968 | $37,850 |
| Total | $24,378,868 | $2,295,932 | $20 | $86,785 | $106,071 |
The June 2021 sports betting handle in Detroit casinos was $24.4 million, the highest monthly total since January’s $35.7 million figure, which was boosted by online sports wagering not being legal yet for most of that month. The June total is up 20.7% from May, when $20.2 million was wagered on sports.
Capacity restrictions were lifted June 22.
Sports betting raised $86,785 in Michigan state taxes in June, while $106,071 in tax money was raised for the city of Detroit.
Table games and slots revenue was actually down 2% in June from May, earning $105.8 million.
FanDuel Sportsbook at MotorCity leads competitive handle race
In June, FanDuel Sportsbook at MotorCity Casino earned the lead for the monthly casino horse race. At MotorCity, $8.5 million was bet in June, good for a 34.7% market share.
BetMGM Sportsbook at MGM Grand Detroit was second, with $8.1 million in bets (33.2% share), and Barstool Sportsbook at Greektown Casino was third ($7.8 million; 32.1% share).
The MGCB is likely to release June online sports betting numbers later this week.
As for hold, the casino held 9.4% of bets in June, a comparatively good month for the casinos. The trio is now holding 8.2% of bets in 2021.
DraftKings still leads FanDuel in fantasy sports contest race
As it has every month since the January 2020 launch, DraftKings topped FanDuel in the May daily fantasy sports race in Michigan.
DraftKings reported $687,295 of revenue in May, while FanDuel posted $514,639 of revenue.
The reporting for fantasy contests is a month behind retail sports betting in Michigan.
Fantasy contests raised $1.3 million in May revenue, paying $105.859 in state taxes at an 8.4% rate.
