ESPN Bet Michigan Promo Code & App Review
DISCLAIMER: ESPN BET Sportsbook has not launched in Michigan. This review is speculative based on what is known about ESPN BET. The information on this page will be updated when ESPN BET Sportsbook launches in Michigan.
ESPN BET is the newest legal online sportsbook for Michigan bettors. This summer, ESPN struck a $2 billion sports betting deal with Penn Entertainment, essentially turning Barstool Sportsbook into the brand-new ESPN BET. Even with the deal, the sportsbook’s welcome offer of $1,000 in bet insurance remains in place. Any new bettor who makes a first bet of $10 or more receives a 100% bet-back bonus of up to $1,000.
ESPN BET has every sports betting market that Michigan bettors would want, including large sections for NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL betting, along with golf, tennis, and soccer on its main menu. The side menu has featured sports, dotted with live betting events.
When we entered the homepage, the first thing we saw was the point spread, total, and moneyline for a preseason game between the Detroit Lions and New York Giants. Thus, Michigan gamblers can expect a global range of betting markets but geo-targeted for Michigan teams.
- User Experience: The layout and speeds are fine. The Android app could use improvement.
- Odds: The moneyline odds and point spread bets are better than those at DraftKings, while the over/under bets are a half-point higher than those at DraftKings.
- Promos: The $1,000 bet back offer is excellent, but the ongoing promotions are less exciting.
- Best Feature: The daily odds boosts are great, though not quite as good as DraftKings’ 50% boosts.
ESPN BET Michigan promo code
ESPN BET offers a bet insurance bonus of 100% up to $1000 when new users deposit $10 or more. The offer applies only to your first deposit, has a 1x wagering requirement, and does not require a promo code.
| ESPN BET Promo Code | Coming Soon |
|---|---|
| Welcome Bonus | 100% up to $1,000 in cashback on a lost first bet. |
| Terms | $10 minimum deposit requirements, odds restrictions of -200 or longer, cannot be used for round robins, expires in 30 days. |
| Best Feature | ESPN BET lets you keep your bonus cash, instead of it being a simple stake on your first set of bets. |
| Launch Date | Expected Fall 2023 |
| Last Updated | September 21, 2023 |
Maximizing the ESPN BET Michigan welcome offer
To qualify for the ESPN BET welcome bonus, new users must make a first deposit of $10 or more. Also, be strategic to maximize the ESPN BET welcome offer. Anyone planning to make multiple bets in a short period of time should combine those into the first bet, so you max out the bonus cash you’ll receive if you lose the first wager.
The offer has a 30-day expiration date, so be certain to satisfy the terms within 30 days. The minimum odds for this offer are -200 or longer, so a -175 bet works but a -225 bet does not. Also, round-robin bets do not qualify.
Is ESPN BET Sportsbook legal in Michigan?
Yes, ESPN BET Sportsbook is legal in Michigan and 15 other US states. The site partners with Greektown Casino and is fully licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board. When you play at ESPN BET, you follow the gaming regulations of Michigan and have full access to the responsible gaming tools and regulations of the state.
Getting started at ESPN BET in MI
Signing up at ESPN BET Sportsbook is a simple process. Remember that you do not need a promo code to acquire the bonus. You’ll be eligible for the welcome bonus when you sign up using our links. Also, remember that users must be 21 and located in Michigan if they want to make bets using ESPN’s new sportsbook.
Signing up at ESPN BET on desktop devices
- To get started on a desktop computer at ESPN BET, click the “Sign Up” link at the right-top of the homepage.
- An online registration form will appear. Enter your email address, username, and password.
- If you have a promo code, add the code to the “Promo Code” box and click “Apply.”
- Once your basic information is complete and you’ve added a code, click “Next Step.”
- The site then presents users with a set of security questions. Choose two and use a straightforward answer that will be easy to remember.
- The form asks the registrant whether they want the questions asked every time they sign in and whether they want an email sent when someone signs in. Answer both questions.
- In the next step, add your account information, full name, address, phone number, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
Signing up at ESPN BET on mobile phones
- Apple iOS device users can download the ESPN BET app on the App Store.
- Android users can download the ESPN BET mobile app on the Google Play Store.
- In both cases, the signup process is the same as it is for desktop users. Follow the instructions above, except for one exception.
- Mobile users are asked to enable the biometric login credential software before they can join the site.
- Once the biometric login credentials are activated, sign in to your account and start playing
- Some registrants will be asked to further verify their identity. This might include taking a picture of a photo ID and uploading it. A driver’s license is the standard ID form in this case.
ESPN BET Sportsbook mobile app and rating (4.4/5)
Our user experience on the ESPN BET Sportsbook app was a positive one. We used an iPhone, and most of the customer reviews on the App Store are good. Android users might have a much different experience because the Google Play Store ratings are much lower.
- Ease of logging in: 4.6/5 – It was easy to sign in with fingerprint or face ID on mobile. Log in with a single password on desktop.
- Ease of placing bets: 4.3/5 – The app proved easy to use on iPhone except it defaults to parlay bets. There are a myriad of reported issues on Android, such as refreshing too soon, which makes it hard to save your bet slip.
- Overall speed: 4.6/5 – We had no issues with the speed of the site. Others have complained of slow load times, but we didn’t experience that.
- Ability to place parlays: 4.7/5 – Switching from moneylines to spread bets to totals is quick. No problem here.
- Ability to place single-game parlays: 4.0/5 – The bet slip makes single-game parlays simple, though the mobile app tries to force you down this path.
- Overall: 4.4/5: The speed and layout of ESPN BET is first rate. Some promotions are hard to find, while Android users generally don’t like their version of the app.
ESPN BET vs. DraftKings Sportsbook
We prefer DraftKings’ promotions to ESPN BET’s promotions. Also, DraftKings gets better technical ratings. The more established sportsbook does better on the little things. Once you get into the odds and terms of use, though, the story is different.
| Feature | ESPN BET | DraftKings |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Boosts | Worse | Better |
| Promotions | Worse | Better |
| Single-Game Parlays | Worse | Better |
| Standard Odds | Better | Worse |
| Top Benefit | Daily odds boosts | 50% boosts |
| What's Lacking? | Quick loading | Favorable terms |
| App Rating | 4.4 | 4.7 |
Boosts and promotions
Rating the welcome bonus depends on whether you want a 20% bonus match or a 100% bet rebate offer. It’s the daily boosts and ongoing promotions where DraftKings excels. Frankly, it’s hard to beat 50% daily boosts, so DraftKings wins this competition.
ESPN’s sportsbook is likely to change its promotions in the coming months. Stay tuned for the updates because this answer could be much different sometime soon.
Odds comparison
When it comes to the current point spreads, ESPN BET beats DraftKings, though it’s a close one. After looking through the point spreads for Week 1 of the NFL regular season, we found that ESPN BET’s odds are better than or equal to DraftKings’ most of the time.
In about half of the cases, you would need to bet less to win $100 on ESPN BET’s point spreads. The moneyline bets look a bit better on ESPN, too.
For instance, the Detroit Lions were +2 underdogs against the New York Giants, while the Lions were a +1.5 underdog on DraftKings. Both had the same moneyline odds. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals were 3.5-point underdogs against the Green Bay Packers, while they were 5-point underdogs on DraftKings.
For the Lions’ season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, the point spread is the same at 6.5. The Lions have better moneyline odds on the ESPN sportsbook, as you’ll get +230 at ESPN BET and +220 on DraftKings. It appears that ESPN BET underestimates the Detroit Lions a bit this year, so Michigan bettors could get better odds here early in the season.
The over/under for the Lions-Giants game was 34.5 on ESPN BET, while it was 35 on DraftKings. On the Steelers–Buccaneers game, it was 40.5 on ESPN BET and 40 on DraftKings. The Packers-Bengals total was similar, as ESPN BET had its totals bet a half-point higher than at DraftKings. In short, ESPN BET is better if you take the under, while DraftKings is better if you bet the over.
App comparison
The ESPN BET iOS app is pretty good. We found it easy to use, though we don’t like that the bet slip defaults to parlay bets. It should default to straight bets. Overall, the ESPN BET app has a net rating of 4.7 on the App Store, which squares with our experience.
Meanwhile, ESPN Bet has a 3.7 average rating on the Google Play Store. We used an iPhone to craft this review, so we’ll sum up the Android reviewers’ thoughts on the low rating. Complaints were numerous. For one, the Android app fails to verify your signup until you contact support. It loops an error message on live parlay bets. The app refreshes after three seconds, so you don’t have time to scroll down through the 75 alternative bets. This is just a sampling of the complaints.
These scores compare to a 4.8 rating for the DraftKings app on the App Store and a 4.6 rating on the Play Store. It makes sense because DraftKings has had more time to solve the problems in its mobile sportsbook apps.
ESPN BET vs. DraftKings: overall comparison
DraftKings is better right now, but ESPN BET has a chance to close the gap in the coming year. With a large welcome bonus and more promotions sure to kick off in the coming months, ESPN BET Sportsbook is poised to become a serious rival to DraftKings, FanDuel, and the Las Vegas sportsbook operators. ESPN has more sports channels than you can count and a nationwide broadcast reach, so ESPN Sportsbook should be one of the major players in US sports betting.
Live betting options at ESPN BET Sportsbook
The live betting page features the current biggest sporting events at the top of the screen. You’ll see icons for the NFL, NBA, MLB, and key tournaments throughout the year. The in-game betting page has any promos that are available at the time, plus a link for any active boosts and exclusive offers. On the right side of the page, you’ll see a bet slip with one-click straight bets and parlays. On the left, you’ll see a complete list of sports with clickable links.
As events happen, scores and betting lines update in real time. Those events will have the word “LIVE” in red letters, so you can quickly pick out live betting opportunities. Click on the live betting event and you can place in-game bets on the Lions, Detroit Pistons, Tigers, or Red Wings. Since Michigan allows bets on college teams, you can live bet on Michigan Wolverines football games each Saturday or on Michigan State Spartans basketball as they make their annual March Madness push.
ESPN BET has every option you’d want from a live betting page. Choose live game props, player props, or team props. Make bets on MLB games’ 1st Inning or the First 5 Innings. Make halftime bets or 3rd period bets.
Banking, customer service, and setting limits at ESPN BET
ESPN BET supports seven deposit methods and six payout methods. Debit cards work for deposits, but not for withdrawals.
How to add funds or cash out
The minimum deposit limit is $10 for most deposit methods, though the minimum for checks is $250. The maximum deposit limit for most payment methods is $10,000. Once again, the max deposit limit for checks and online banking is $5,000.
ESPN BET deposit options
- Credit Card
- Debit Card
- Play+
- PayPal
- Online Banking
- ACH/E-Check: VIP Preferred
- Cash at Casino: Make deposits and withdrawals from your ESPN BET account at participating casino locations, in this case Greektown Casino in Detroit.
When you make a withdrawal, funds should arrive in your PayPal account instantly, while a PayPal transfer to a bank account usually takes 1 to 2 days. If you use Play+, the funds should appear instantly. Most other withdrawals take 3 to 5 business days to reach your bank account, though paper checks take 14 days.
ESPN BET withdrawals
- Play+: Access to your funds via ATMs nationwide and anywhere Discover cards are accepted.
- PayPal: Transfer to PayPal, then transfer them to the bank account.
- Online Banking: Instant processing. Funds appear in your bank account within 3-5 business days.
- VIP Preferred: Transfer funds between your ESPN BET account and your checking/savings account. Instantly processed, but takes 3-5 business days to appear in your bank account.
- Paper Check: Processed on the day the request is received. Takes up to 14 business days to arrive. Must be a minimum of $250 to utilize the check option. Make sure the address on the form page is accurate.
- Cash at Casino: Greektown Casino cashier cage.
How to contact ESPN BET customer service in Michigan
ESPN BET has three different methods of communication: email, live chat, and phone. Click on the red “Support” button at the bottom-right of most pages to begin a live chat session.
If you want to contact ESPN BET via email, click the “Email Us” button in the bottom menu of any page. This opens a contact form, which requires your email address, a subject line, and a description of the details of your request. The form also has an optional attachments box, so you can add files if needed.
To contact customer support via phone, click on the “Request Callback” option on the “Contact Us” page. This opens a red support ticket at the right-bottom of the page. It prompts the customer with the question, “How can we help?” Let the support staff know you want a phone callback and give your number.
How to set limits at ESPN BET Sportsbook
ESPN BET allows players to set limits on deposit sizes, total spending, losses, time spent, and single wager sizes. The deposit limit option lets you limit how much you deposit on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Users can decrease their limit at any time, and the limit will be effective immediately. Bettors can increase their limit once per time period, and the level remains until the time period has expired.
The spending, losses, and max single wager limits work much the same way—on daily, weekly, and monthly cycles. Once you reach any threshold, your account will prevent you from further betting. Note that the max single wager limit rests at midnight (Eastern Time) each day.
Finally, ESPN BET offers temporary cool-off periods between 72 hours and 3 months. Once you set a cool-off, you won’t be able to log onto the site until that specified period ends. The account is automatically reinstated once the cool-off period concludes.
ESPN BET responsible gambling tools
ESPN’s sportsbook has three other responsible gaming tools available: Exclude Payment Methods, Reality Check-In Interval, and Limit History. The first lets you block and exclude a certain type of payment method. The second lets you set how often ESPN BET shows you the amount of time and money you’ve spent during the current gaming session, with the default time set at 30 minutes. The third tool allows you to view all active and past limits on your account.
ESPN BET locations and partnerships
ESPN BET has a partnership with Penn Entertainment, which owns Greektown Casino in Detroit. Any ESPN sportsbook customers in Michigan can visit the Greektown Casino cashier cage to make a deposit to or withdrawal from their ESPN BET online sportsbook account.
ESPN Bet Sportsbook Michigan FAQ
No promo code is required at this moment for the welcome bonus. ESPN BET has a 100% bet back offer up to $1,000 when you make a deposit of $10 or more. This promotion works like a rebate or cashback. If you lose your first bet, you’ll receive the same amount of cash that you wagered up to $1,000.
Via its new partnership with PENN, ESPN is taking over Barstool’s online sportsbook, so bettors should expect the promotional offers to change this October when the ESPN/PENN National transition is complete. For now, we expect the $5 bet match offer for the NFL season to happen: if you make a $5 bet on NFL games, you’ll receive $50 in bonus cash.
ESPN BET is a legal and licensed online sportsbook. That means legal protections that don’t exist in the offshore sports betting market. If you have a lucky run at an offshore sportsbook, the bookmaker can cite one of its obscure terms of use and refuse to pay your winnings. Frankly, it doesn’t have to cite a rule; it’s common to say they’ve noticed suspicious betting activity on your account and void the bet.
Beyond that, offshore sportsbooks don’t have responsible gaming measures. You won’t play with self-exclusion options, and you can’t set betting limits. Nothing stands in the way if you go on tilt and want to stop a bad month.
From a betting standpoint, there’s no reason to choose an offshore sportsbook. Not only does ESPN BET offer a welcome bonus that’s competitive with most offshore bookmaker sites, but it has odds that are as good or better than the offshore market. ESPN BET covers every sports betting market, whether you like pregame or live betting. ESPN BET is legal, legit, and has odds as good as any in the business.
To bet on sports in Michigan, you need to be 21 years of age, have a valid US Social Security number, and be inside the state borders of Michigan.
Absolutely. The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) licenses ESPN BET Sportsbook, so it has a full license to offer online sports bets. ESPN BET is a legit operation owned by ESPN, the “worldwide leader in sports.”
Once you want to make a withdrawal, you’ll have several options: Play+, PayPal, online banking, ACH, e-check, paper check, and cash at a partner casino. For quick payouts, we recommend Play+ and PayPal, well-known electronic money transfer services.
Online banking, ACH, and e-check send money directly to your bank account and take between 3-5 business days. A paper check takes up to 14 business days and is available only for cash-outs of $250 or more. “Cash at Casino” lets you deposit or withdraw money from your ESPN BET account at the cashier cage of a physical casino, in this case Greektown Casino in Detroit.
Absolutely. ESPN BET Sportsbook has a full range of Detroit Lions betting markets, including moneylines, point spreads, player props, futures bets, and live wagers.
The same goes for every Michigan sports betting, whether it’s college or pro sports. Bet on the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, and Detroit Pistons as each franchise starts a resurgence. Follow Michigan football’s latest march toward a possible title or Michigan State basketball as it seeks its first trip to the Final Four since 2019. ESPN BET offers every bet a Michigan sports fan could want.