It was yet another record month of online casino revenue in Michigan, with $153.7 million in January.
This marks the fourth consecutive record month for Michigan. It’s also a 0.6% bump up from December’s previous record of $152.8 million.
Showing the continued growth of the industry, the January 2023 numbers are a 26.8% growth from the previous January’s $121.2 million.
“A fourth straight record month for online casinos in Michigan is not surprising, as that industry shows zero sign of slowing down in the state,” said Paul Costanzo, lead analyst for PlayMichigan. “Not only is it a record, but the 26% growth in year-over-year revenue is a great sign for the overall Michigan gaming market.”
January 2023 Michigan online casino revenue
Online casinos in Michigan had another big month in January:
- Online casino revenue: $153.7 million, up 0.6% from December
- January online casino tax payments: $24.9 million to state and $9.7 million to local entities
- Top online casino app by revenue: BetMGM Michigan with $52.8 million
Three takeaways from January Michigan online casino revenue report
DraftKings, Golden Nugget, Four Winds and FireKeepers set new records
With a record month for the state, you can usually expect record months for a handle operators as well.
That was the case in January as DraftKings Casino MI, Golden Nugget Casino MI, Four Winds Casino MI and FireKeepers Casino.
Here’s a look at what each operator did in January and how it compared to the previous best.
- DraftKings: $26.24 million ($26.15 million in December 2022)
- Golden Nugget: $7.21 million ($7.19 million August 2022)
- Four Winds: $3.53 million ($3.10 million October 2022)
- FireKeepers: $1.81 million ($1.76 million in August 2022)
Interstate poker boosting PokerStars MI?
PokerStars MI saw a nice bump up in January’s online revenue.
After recording $2.2 million in revenue in December, PokerStars put up $3.6 million in January. It bumped up by 64.6% month-to-month.
The MGCB includes all online poker revenue in with the final online casino revenue for each operator. So while it’s hard to say how much impact the start of interstate play helped, it’s safe to say it definitely provided a boost for PokerStars.
On Jan. 1, PokerStars became Michigan’s first online poker provider to get licensing for interstate play. Michigan players were able to compete against New Jersey players for shared pools.
Not only was January PokerStars’ revenue total a big jump from December, it was its highest revenue total since May of 2021.
Don’t look for five straight record months
While the online casino industry in Michigan is clearly thriving, don’t look for a fifth consecutive record revenue month in February.
That’s not to say February won’t be strong, but with it being just 28 days, it will be tough to match January’s 31-day total.
Last February saw $122.8 million in revenue, which was the third-lowest total of the entire year. It did manage to beat January 2022’s $122.2 million, but things really have taken off in the later stages of the year.
Michigan has had four straight months with $140 million in revenue or more, and two straight with over $150 million.
February will have the added benefit of a 15th online operator joining the revenue mix. SI Casino MI launched earlier this month and will provide some added revenue total.
Michigan online casino January 2023 revenue by operator
| Licensee | Online Brand | Revenue | Promos | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MGM Grand Detroit | BetMGM | $52,837,065 | $5,283,706 | $13,229,357 |
| MotorCity | FanDuel | $28,935,992 | $2,893,599 | $6,937,400 |
| Bay Mills | DraftKings | $26,236,508 | $2,623,651 | $5,931,600 |
| Little River Band of Ottawa | BetRivers | $8,584,853 | $858,485 | $1,619,801 |
| Keweenaw Bay | Golden Nugget | $7,207,971 | $720,797 | $1,347,178 |
| Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa | Caesars | $6,840,951 | $684,095 | $1,274,508 |
| Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa | WynnBet | $4,589,125 | $458,912 | $828,647 |
| Greektown | Barstool | $4,132,472 | $413,247 | $790,335 |
| Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa | PokerStars | $3,643,776 | $364,378 | $655,880 |
| Pokagon Band of Potawatomi | Four Winds | $3,534,628 | $353,463 | $636,233 |
| Sagniaw Chippewa | Eagle | $2,425,924 | $242,592 | $436,666 |
| Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi | FireKeepers | $1,805,075 | $180,508 | $324,914 |
| Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi | Play Gun Lake | $1,778,048 | $177,805 | $320,049 |
| Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa | PointsBet | $1,142,005 | $114,200 | $205,561 |
| Total | $153,694,393 | $15,369,439 | $34,538,129 |
