Michigan’s three Detroit retail casinos saw another decline in revenue and sports betting handle in November according to numbers released Tuesday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
After a promising October that saw sports betting handle growth from September, November’s total of $18.1 million was a 23% drop from last month.
Detroit’s slot machines and table games generated $99.9 million in revenue for November, just a fractional dip from October’s $100.7 million.
Detroit casinos declining off in final months of 2022
For the fifth consecutive month, Detroit’s retail casinos (MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, Hollywood Casino at Greektown) have seen a month-to-month decline in revenue.
November’s total of just under $100 million was the first time since June that the Detroit casinos haven’t collectively reached $100 million in revenue.
However, the decline in recent months has been minimal.
- July: $105,942,852
- August: $104,481,457 (1.4% decline)
- September: $100,818,011 (3.5% decline)
- October: $100,722,864 (0.1% decline)
- November: $99,924,009 (0.8% decline)
Through 11 months of 2021, Detroit’s three casinos had accrued $1.155 billion in revenue. Through the first 11 months of 2022, they sit at $1.149 billion. That is a slight drop of 0.6%.
It should be noted that 2021 saw capacity limitations in January through most of June due to the COVID pandemic.
The last month of 2022 that the Detroit casinos outperformed their revenue compared to the year prior was April when they generated $116.9 million.
Detroit retail sports betting takes a hit
After an increase of 26.7% from September to October, Detroit’s retail sportbooks saw a 23% drop in handle from October to November.
The three Detroit retail books tallied $18.1 million in handle for November after recording $23.5 million in October.
November’s retail handle is the second-lowest monthly handle number of 2022 for the Detroit sportsbooks. It’s a nearly 32% drop from November of 2021.
For 2022, the three Detroit books have amassed $247.7 million in handle through 11 months. That is 11.7% less than the $280.6 million it amassed in the first 11 months of 2021.
Hollywood Casino still surpassing 2021 handle
While MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino are expected to fall well below their handle totals for 2021, Hollywood Casino at Greektown is another story.
Greektown has already surpassed its 2021 mark of $110 million. It currently sits at $127.2 million through the first 11 months of 2022.
Even matching its worst monthly handle total of 2022 would still put it well over $130 million for 2022. That would be over 18% in growth year-to-year.
Online gambling still going strong
Numbers for online sports betting and online casinos in November haven’t been released as of yet. However, October was a good month for both industries in Michigan.
The $480.8 million in online handle in October was Michigan’s second-largest of the year behind January ($496.8 million). It also was a 3.8% increase from October 2021’s $463.3 million.
October’s online casino revenue total of just under $141 million was the fourth-highest month for an US iGaming market.
It was a 9.5% increase from September ($128.7 million) and Michigan’s best month by 6.4%. The previous best was $132.4 million in April.
