Place Your Biggest NFL Draft Bets In Michigan By Wednesday … Or You’ll Be Out Of Luck

Written By Matt Schoch on April 27, 2021 - Last Updated on March 11, 2024
NFL Draft Betting Deadline Michigan 2021

It’s NFL Draft season, so you have alerts set on your phone for Adam Schefter’s tweets (and others’, too).

Let’s say that during the day Thursday, the ESPN information guru reports the San Francisco 49ers are indeed zeroing in on Mac Jones, or Trey Lance, or another quarterback, with the third pick later that night.

You jump on to your preferred Michigan sports betting app to try and beat the oddsmaker, placing a bet on that player to go No. 3 before the sportsbook adjusts to the intel.

There’s just one problem (a big one): You’re already way too late.

For now, Michigan sportsbooks must abide by an NFL Draft betting deadline the night before the selections will take place.

Michigan closing NFL draft markets at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday

Legal sports betting states have different rules for off-field events the NFL Draft.

In Iowa, for instance, you can’t bet on drafts at all.

One of the quirks in Michigan can be found in the Guidelines & Comments section of the Sports Wagering Catalog on the Michigan Gaming Control Board website. (Editor’s note: Click the “sports wagering catalog” link on the ensuing landing page to download a spreadsheet.)

According to the guidelines, “for an approved player draft, betting on the draft shall stop at the close of business (at 11:59pm) the day before the draft takes place.”

MGCB spokesperson Mary Kay Bean confirmed these were the rules as of Monday.

She added that for a multi-day draft like the NFL’s, each day is treated as a different draft day.

So, second- and third-round wagers for Friday, for instance, can be made until late Thursday night.

Fourth- through seventh-round wagers have an NFL Draft betting deadline of Friday night for Saturday’s selections.

“The MGCB could consider a change if a request is received from an operator or platform provider,” Bean wrote Monday in an email to PlayMichigan.

So … get your NFL Draft bets in the night before selections

All 12 of Michigan sports betting operators are offering odds for the NFL Draft. Based on the current rules, bettors will have to think ahead to get their wagers down.

In addition, operators will be missing a chance at many late wagers.

We’ll keep an eye on things this week to see if there’s a last-minute switch.

In the meantime, if you’re curious on the options awaiting the Detroit Lions in the top 10, we’ve got an odds-based preview for you.

Or, if you’re looking for the best promo deals from sportsbooks leading into the draft, you might want to check out what DraftKings and FanDuel have going.

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Matt Schoch

A Michigan native, Matt has worked at newspapers in Michigan, Missouri and the Virgin Islands. A versatile sports reporter, Matt has covered sailing on the Great Lakes, cricket in the Caribbean, high school and pro playoffs, and the Olympics in Rio. He's also the former host of the Locked On Pistons Podcast and producer of a documentary on Emoni Bates. A former blackjack dealer, Matt has studied the industry from all sides.

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