The NFL season brought Michigan sports betting in like a lion, and (mercifully) not like the Detroit Lions.
September saw $354.3 million in online sports bets placed in the state, according to numbers released Thursday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board. The tally approached the monthly online record of $359.5 million, set in March on the strength of March Madness wagering.
But combined with the $32.5 million of retail sports betting handle announced Tuesday by the MGCB, the overall betting handle of $386.8 million did set a new monthly standard.
Because NFL football betting is a whole new monster altogether, records could continue to fall despite the expectedly anemic start to the season for the home team, the 0-5 Lions.
Big sports betting numbers push Michigan past Indiana again
The numbers elevate Michigan to the national powerhouse it was expected to be all along. And the totals don’t include bets placed at retail tribal casinos across the state, which are not required to report numbers publicly. Alongside the huge numbers of more than $100 in revenue posted by online casinos and poker in September, Michigan is an online gambling hub.
We’ll monitor where this sports betting number puts Michigan on the national hierarchy as other states release totals, but it repositioned Michigan over neighboring Indiana ($355.4 million combined September retail and online handle). Iowa also set a record for September, but its $210.4 million handle is well behind the MI pace. Leading sports betting states New Jersey, Nevada, Illinois and Pennsylvania have yet to report.
The MI September online sports betting handle was a 84.2% jump from August. During that month, with hardly any meaningful football being played, Michiganders wagered $192.3 million online.
| Licensee | Online Brand | Total Handle | Online Handle | Retail Handle | Revenue (GGR) | Promos | State Tax | Local Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Mills | DraftKings | $106,895,762 | $106,895,762 | ? | $3,019,482 | $7,752,042 | $0 | $0 |
| MGM Grand Detroit | BetMGM | $95,011,537 | $81,843,140 | $13,168,397 | $10,129,722 | $6,059,742 | $211,148 | $164,839 |
| MotorCity | FanDuel | $89,454,520 | $82,077,330 | $7,377,190 | $8,410,116 | $3,936,146 | $237,082 | $179,187 |
| Greektown | Barstool | $41,445,688 | $29,462,787 | $11,982,901 | $2,519,851 | $614,547 | $93,472 | $79,342 |
| Grand Traverse | Caesars | $23,948,900 | $23,948,900 | ? | $596,928 | $1,756,077 | $0 | $0 |
| Lac Vieux Desert | PointsBet | $13,457,380 | $13,457,380 | ? | $1,519,337 | $2,240,804 | $0 | $0 |
| Little Traverse Bay | Fox Bet | $5,200,531 | $5,200,531 | ? | $392,933 | $201,799 | $16,055 | $0 |
| Little River | BetRivers | $3,449,844 | $3,449,844 | ? | $312,459 | $209,920 | $0 | $0 |
| Sault Ste. Marie | WynnBet | $2,272,058 | $2,272,058 | ? | -$55,863 | $133,930 | $0 | $0 |
| Hannahville | TwinSpires | $1,568,521 | $1,568,521 | ? | $72,783 | $232,315 | $0 | $0 |
| Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish | Play Gun Lake | $1,457,687 | $1,457,687 | ? | $60,430 | $108,468 | $0 | $0 |
| Nottawaseppi Huron | FireKeepers | $1,025,967 | $1,025,967 | ? | $71,754 | $58,436 | $0 | $0 |
| Keweenaw Bay | Golden Nugget | $1,003,105 | $1,003,105 | ? | $28,322 | $36,807 | $0 | $0 |
| Pokagon | Four Winds | $588,733 | $588,733 | ? | $57,097 | $314,356 | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $386,780,231 | $354,251,744 | $32,528,487 | $27,135,351 | $23,655,388 | $557,758 | $423,369 |
DraftKings Sportsbook keeps sports betting handle lead
After taking the top spot for the first time in August, DraftKings Sportsbook stayed atop the hill in September.
The industry power took $106.9 million in September online bets, good for a 30.2% market share. That was the first time any Michigan sports betting operator took nine figures of online sports bets in a single month.
FanDuel Sportsbook was second at $82.1 million in bets (23.2% share), and BetMGM Sportsbook was third statewide ($81.8 million; 23.1% share).
Barstool Sportsbook had $29.5 million in online sports bets for the month, fourth in the market with a 8.3% share. Caesars Sportsbook was in fifth place with $23.9 million in September online bets, a 6.8% share.
The operators combined to pay $426,873 in state taxes and $263,398 in taxes to the city of Detroit in the month. Sports betting operators held 6.7% of the September online handle in gross revenue, but heavy promotional write-offs again kept tax revenue down.
