Michigan Sports Bettors Wager $229.8 Million In August, State Crosses $7 Billion In All-Time Handle

Written By Drew Ellis on September 20, 2022

Michigan online casinos brought in $130.9 million in revenue in a strong August, pushing that all-time number above $2 billion

Michigan sportsbooks saw the first signs of the football season increase in August 2022, reporting a total handle of $229.8 million. While just a 2.1% increase from July, it’s still a 10.1% increase from August of 2021. With August’s numbers, Michigan crossed the $7 billion mark in all-time sports betting handle.

Michigan online casinos and poker saw another small spike in revenue from last month. Internet gaming generated $130.9 million in revenue, up 3.4% from the $126.6 million generated in June. Michigan has now surpassed $2 billion in all-time online casino revenue.

“August should be the final month of modest numbers for Michigan sportsbooks, as football season will start to take them back near the $400 million mark in September,” said Paul Costanzo, lead analyst at PlayMichigan. “Still, $229.8 million is a 10% improvement on August 2021, telling us the industry continues to thrive in its second full year of legal sports betting. The state has also crossed the $7 billion mark in all-time handle. Online casinos, meanwhile, continue to be season-proof, which is a huge benefit for operators and the state.”

August 2022 Michigan sports betting numbers

Here are the top-line numbers from the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

  • Handle: $229.8 million ($218.8 million online)
  • Revenue: $25.7 million ($24.0 million online)
  • Hold: 11.2% (up from 10.2% last month)
  • Month-over-month: Handle increased 2.1%
  • August sports betting taxes: $1.49 million to the state and $437,746 to local entities.
  • Top online sports betting app by handle: FanDuel Sportsbook MI with $72.4 million
  • Top online sports betting app by revenue: FanDuel with $7.7 million

August 2022 Michigan online casino revenue

Online casinos in Michigan continued to bring in big numbers in August:

  • Online casino revenue: $130.9 million, up 3.4% from July
  • August online casino tax payments: $24.2 million to state and $9.2 million to local entities
  • Top online casino app by revenue: BetMGM Michigan with $49.3 million

Top takeaways from August 2022 Michigan online gambling numbers

Two big milestones crossed

Two new milestones were hit in August 2022. Sports betting in Michigan surpassed the $7 billion mark for all-time handle. That includes online and retail sports betting.

Also, Michigan’s all-time online casino revenue surpassed $2 billion in August. That happened in just 20 months (19.5 when you consider it began late in January 2021).

By comparison, it took Pennsylvania 30 months to reach the $2 billion threshold. It took New Jersey a total of 81 months to get to that mark.

Clearly Michigan got itself in position to be ready with double-digit operators available upon launch 20 months ago.

Along with $2 billion in revenue for the industry, it has generated $527.6 million in tax revenue for Michigan.

End of the summer sports betting lull

Michigan’s sports betting numbers should begin to see a big boost starting in September with football season back in full swing.

With August’s numbers released, latest projections from PlayUSA call for Michigan to produce over $2 billion in handle over the next four months of the year.

Here’s a look at the latest month-to-month handle projections:

  • Sept. 2022: $402.1 million
  • Oct. 2022: $542.9 million
  • Nov. 2022: $548.3 million
  • Dec. 2022: $531.9 million

Altogether, that would be a 6.6% handle increase from the $1.9 billion wagered during Sept.-Dec. of 2021.

Growth trends hold steady for online casinos

The $130.9 million in iGaming revenue for August is the third-highest total all-time for Michigan over the last 20 months.

A year ago, online casinos generated just $97.2 million in revenue. August 2022’s revenue continues a year-over-year growth pattern that we’ve been seeing throughout the year.

Each month in 2022 has been at least 34% higher in revenue than the month the year before.

  • February: 54.1% growth from 2021
  • March: 38.5% growth from 2021
  • April: 39.5% growth from 2021
  • May: 34.2% growth from 2021
  • June: 36.2% growth from 2021
  • July: 37.2% growth from 2021
  • August: 34.7% growth from 2021

Michigan August 2022 sports betting handle and revenue by operator

LicenseeOnline BrandHandleRevenueHoldTaxes
MotorCityFanDuel$74,842,881$8,080,51810.8%$550,720
Bay MillsDraftKings$52,549,120$6,278,38111.9%$373,183
MGM Grand DetroitBetMGM$48,939,869$5,789,26311.8%$380,063
GreektownBarstool$20,155,233$1,690,0858.4%$132,744
Grand TraverseCaesars$15,342,990$1,687,38511.0%$0
Lac Vieux DesertPointsBet$5,702,678$908,62015.9%$0
Little RiverBetRivers$4,339,841$392,4189.0%$18,253
Sault Ste. MarieWynnBet$1,675,368$161,6039.6%$12,413
Little Traverse BayFox Bet$1,666,553$314,30118.9%$21,380
Nottawaseppi HuronFireKeepers$1,086,387$90,4008.3%$0
Sagniaw ChippewaEagle$1,076,450$101,9389.5%$0
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-WishbetParx$975,428$70,2847.2%$0
Keweenaw BayGolden Nugget$680,109$67,70910.0%$1,468
PokagonFour Winds$454,725$19,5944.3%$0
HannahvilleTwinSpires$309,845$2,3510.8%$0
Total$229,797,476$25,654,84911.2%$1,490,223

Michigan August 2022 online casino revenue by operator

LicenseeOnline BrandRevenuePromosTaxes
MGM Grand DetroitBetMGM$49,327,377$4,932,738$12,985,432
Bay MillsDraftKings$19,362,312$1,936,231$4,879,303
MotorCityFanDuel$19,328,906$1,932,891$5,088,334
Little River Band of OttawaBetRivers$9,002,084$1,277,744$2,162,815
Keweenaw BayGolden Nugget$7,196,304$719,630$1,813,469
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and ChippewaCaesars$5,912,623$591,262$1,489,981
GreektownBarstool$3,898,732$389,873$1,026,341
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of ChippewaWynnBet$3,770,271$377,027$950,108
Pokagon Band of PotawatomiFour Winds$2,879,949$287,995$725,747
Sagniaw ChippewaEagle$2,785,621$278,562$551,553
Little Traverse Bay Bands of OdawaPokerStars$2,560,195$256,019$645,169
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of PotawatomiFireKeepers$1,756,493$175,649$377,645
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of PottawatomiPlay Gun Lake$1,677,384$167,738$422,701
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior ChippewaPointsBet$936,755$94,800$185,230
HannahvilleTwinSpires$529,188$9,315$114,372
Total$130,924,194$13,427,475$33,418,201
Photo by Shutterstock
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Drew Ellis

Drew Ellis is the 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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