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MGM Grand Detroit took Detroit’s first legal sports bets on March 11, 2020. Those bets marked a new chapter for a gambling market built around three downtown casinos. Michigan’s launch of online sports betting and casino games followed on Jan. 22, 2021. That launch moved access beyond casino floors.
A retrospective from Deadline Detroit traces that evolution, from the arrival of Detroit’s casinos to the shift toward mobile wagering.
Detroit’s three-casino foundation
MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino Hotel and Greektown opened in 1999 and 2000. Greektown now operates as Hollywood Casino at Greektown.
Those properties established the physical casino market that later added legal sports wagering. MGM Grand and Greektown opened sportsbooks in March 2020. However, the pandemic closed the casinos days after the first legal sports bets were placed.
Michigan wagering moves to mobile apps
The statewide online launch brought both sports betting and casino games to mobile platforms. State Sen. Curtis Hertel placed the first online wager.
Soon, there was a shift in everyday sports betting. Detroiters now place most of those wagers on their phones rather than at downtown sportsbook counters. Michigan sports betting and casino gaming are restricted to adults 21 and older.
Table games and slots remain substantial casino business
Detroit’s casinos continue to draw customers for in-person table games and slots, according to the retrospective.
According to a Michigan Gaming Control Board September report, the three casinos earned more than $100 million from table games and slots in a single month. The same report put retail sportsbook revenue at $769,771.
Source: As reported by deadlinedetroit.com.
More from playmichigan.com – Wisconsin Betting Disputes Put Michigan Tribal Wagering Rules in Focus – Michigan Online Gambling Revenue Reaches $355.7 Million in September – Jim Townsend Named Chair of Michigan Gaming Control Board
