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Recently, BetMGM Online Casino turned on a jackpot side bet in Michigan.
BetMGM Jackpots runs across more than 200 casino games. Players opt in for a flat 10 cents per qualifying wager, and that dime buys a shot at four progressive tiers topping out at a Mega seeded at $500,000. The company says the Mega is already past $618,000.
The dime is not the news.
Not when a competitor has been charging the same dime in the same state since before this year. And not when a third operator launched its own four tier jackpot in Michigan seven days ago.
Hard Rock Bet has been running a four-tier jackpot in Michigan at 10 cents a spin, under the same four names, and paying on it since at least March. bet365 Casino brought Jackpot365 to Michigan on Aug. 11.
What BetMGM Jackpots Costs, and Where It Starts
The jackpot costs ten cents a spin. The four tiers begin at:
- Mini: $100
- Minor: $6,000
- Major: $30,000
- Mega: $500,000
Hard Rock Bet charges the same dime in Michigan. Its Mega starts at $5,000.
That gap is the entire pitch. The price settled at 10 cents, so the argument moved to the size of the number.
Hard Rock’s version of the argument is a track record. Michigan players have taken nine six-figure Mega jackpots off it in roughly two months, and more than $2 million in Mega winnings since the operator went live in the state. One of those was $224,820.31 on April 29, off a $2.10 wager.
BetMGM is starting with a bigger number and no results yet.
How This Differs From a Regular Progressive Jackpot
BetMGM already runs a progressive network of more than 25 games, including MGM Grand Millions, Bison Fury, and 15 Lanterns. Those jackpots live inside the games.
This one does not. The side bet is a separate charge on top of your existing wagering. BetMGM says opting in does not affect the outcome of the underlying casino game.
That last part is the whole design. A charge does not touch a game’s math. That means it can be bolted onto 200 titles never built to carry a jackpot, and onto 200 more after that.
Why All Three Landed in Michigan
Michigan online casinos won $302.8 million in July, up 20.9% from a year earlier, and crossed $12 billion in lifetime revenue.
BetMGM was second in the state at $63.1 million, behind FanDuel Casino at $74.6 million.
BetMGM expects to take the feature into more markets through the summer and fall, subject to regulatory approval.
Three operators, one price. The argument is over the number on the other side of it.
