NFL Lines and Odds in Michigan

With legal sports betting now live in Michigan, NFL betting is set to explode in the Great Lakes State, starting in 2021. Licensed sportsbooks across Michigan now offer futures, moneylines, point spreads, over/unders, parlays and props for the most popular sport (both in eyeballs and betting volume) in the United States. You can also bet on the NFL online through one of Michigan’s many online sportsbooks and betting apps.

The NFL’s immensely popular status carries through to Michigan, home to the Detroit Lions. Michigan sportsbooks allow NFL betting of all kinds, starting in the off-season and running all the way through to the rush of betting on the Super Bowl.

Find out all about betting on the NFL in Michigan, including everything from the best bets to make and where to make them.

Best sportsbooks in Michigan with NFL promos

Live NFL odds

See below for the current NFL futures odds for next season. Click on any odds to go directly to the online sportsbook, claim your bonus and get your NFL bets down. Use the drop-down menu to change your odds board between the next Super Bowl winner, conference champions and NFL MVP.

How to open a sportsbook account and bet the NFL in Michigan

As long as you are within Michigan state lines and have access to the internet, you can bet on the NFL using your phone, tablet or computer, thanks to a number of Michigan online sportsbooks.

Betting on the NFL online in Michigan is a simple three-step process:

• Register for an account
• Make a deposit
• Fill out a bet slip

Of course, the process will differ slightly between individual betting apps and websites. However, the three basic steps will be the same:

Register for an account

You won’t be able to make NFL bets online in Michigan until you register for an account with a licensed sportsbook. The good news is that the sportsbooks make this process easy.

Just follow these simple steps:

• Find the ‘REGISTER’ tab on the Michigan online and mobile sportsbook homepage
• Fill out the personal and account information fields with your name, email, date of birth and last four digits of your SSN, among other possible requirements
• Enter the exclusive promo code you find on our website for the sportsbook of your choice to make sure you get the best bonus
• Check the boxes accepting all terms and conditions, and submit the information

The sportsbook will verify your age and location.

Make a deposit

The next step is getting money into your account. Most sportsbooks offer you a variety of different deposit methods, including everything from credit and debit cards to online payment processors and cash at various retail locations, including affiliated casinos and retail sportsbooks

To make a deposit into your account:

• Find the ‘DEPOSIT’ tab on the sportsbook homepage
• Choose the best method of deposit available
• Enter the amount you want to deposit and follow the prompts
• Confirm the transaction

With most deposit methods, the funds will be immediately available.

Fill out a bet slip

Filling out a bet slip is the final step in betting on football in Michigan.

This is another simple process that can be completed by following these easy steps:

• Log in
• Browse through live betting lines
• Click on a line you want to bet on
• Verify the information contained on the instantly created bet slip
• Enter the amount you want to bet
• Verify the potential payout displayed
• Click the ‘Place Bet’ tab to confirm

NFL bet types in Michigan

Michigan sportsbooks offer the following basic ways to bet on the NFL:

• Moneyline: Pick a winner of a game. Then, book a moneyline bet at the currently posted odds, which are generally based on a $100 scale. Favorites show a negative (-) number indicating how much you must bet to win $100, plus your bet back. Underdogs show a positive (+) number indicating how much you’ll earn for every $100 you bet. So if the Detroit Lions moneyline is at -120, for example then every $120 bet on the Lions stands to win $100, plus your bet back. If the Lions moneyline is at +200, then every $100 bet on the Lions stands to win $200, plus your bet back.
• Point spread: Pick the winner of a game, but factor in the point spread set by oddsmakers into the final score to determine the betting winner. If the Lions’ point spread is -6.5, they will need to win by at least seven for point spread bets to pay. If the Lions point spread is at +6.5, not only does the bet cash if the Lions win, it’ll still cash if they lose by fewer than seven points.
• Total: Pick whether the total points scored in a game (or certain increment of a game) will be over or under a line set by oddsmakers.
• Props: Prop betting allows you to bet on whether certain things may or may not happen during a game, including players and teams reaching certain statistical milestones. Will the Lions score first? Will Lions QB Jared Goff throw more than three TD passes?
• Parlays: Combine two or more basic bets into a single bet. Get paid at ballooning odds, but only if every bet that’s part of the parlay wins.
• Futures: Pick a team to win the Super Bowl, MVP, conference or division at opening odds.
• NFL live betting: NFL live or in-game betting involves wagering on games that have already started at adjusted odds that are based on what’s happening on the field. Live betting is offered at retail and online and mobile sportsbooks, but it’s much easier to manage online because of the speed at which the odds change.

A look at the 2021-22 NFL season

The 2021-22 NFL season will kick off Sept. 9, 2021. For the first time, the regular season schedule will consist of 17 games. The NFL playoffs will follow the regular season with an expanded 14-team single-elimination tournament to determine who plays in the Super Bowl. In a new wrinkle adopted in 2020, the league added two playoff teams to each conference’s tournament.

This season, Super Bowl LVI is scheduled for Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

How to bet on the NFL preseason

The NFL preseason is just a tune-up for the regular season. Regular season starters get more rest than playing time, and winning isn’t really the goal. Michigan sportsbooks offer betting lines on preseason games, but your guess is as good as theirs as to who will actually win these meaningless contests.

Training camps are set to be held from late July through August each year.

Betting on the NFL regular season

The NFL rewards degrees of winning. Until teams have locked up playoff spots and home-field advantage throughout the postseason, every team tries to win every game it can.

The league divides its 32 teams into two 16-team conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each team plays 17 regular-season games over an 18-week regular season, and only the best seven teams in each conference make the playoffs.

Michigan sportsbooks offer various betting markets for every regular-season game and futures markets on team performance, allowing you to bet on almost every aspect of the NFL regular season.

Betting on the NFL Playoffs

Only the best seven teams in each of the AFC and NFC make the NFL playoffs. This field includes the team with the top regular-season record in each division, seeded Nos. 1-4 in the conference.

In each conference, the teams with the fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-best records qualify for the playoffs as wild cards.

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament to decide the NFL champion, so it goes without saying that teams are trying to win. Lines set by sportsbooks are normally even more difficult to decipher, because oddsmakers have fewer teams to focus on.

Wild Card weekend starts things off with three division winners hosting three wild card teams in each conference. The top-seeded team in each conference gets a bye.

The three wild card winners move on to Round 2, along with top seed, to compete in the divisional round. Then those winners meet in the AFC and NFC championship games.

Betting on the Super Bowl

The AFC and NFC Conference champions face off in the Super Bowl to determine which team will hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Michigan sportsbooks will offer more props and betting markets for the Super Bowl than any other sporting event. The Super Bowl has become one of the single biggest days in sports and sports betting.

Where are the best places to bet on the NFL in Michigan?

Looking to head out to catch the action on an NFL Sunday or for one of the primetime tilts? Here are some of the top spots for you to check out in Michigan, all of which will feature the latest odds for the games.

1. MGM Grand Detroit / BetMGM

• Name: BetMGM Sports Lounge
• Address: 1777 3rd Ave, Detroit, MI 48226
• Phone: (877) 888-2121
• Sportsbook hours: 7 days — 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• Lounge hours: 7 days — 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Online sportsbook: BetMGM Michigan

The BetMGM Sports Lounge features six betting windows for you to take care of business, and there are also 14 self-serve kiosks elsewhere on the property. Amenities include a full-service bar and 60 HDTVs to enjoy the games.

2. MotorCity Casino Hotel / FanDuel Sportsbook

• Name: FanDuel Sportsbook
• Address: 2901 Grand River Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
• Phone: (866) 782-9622
• Sportsbook hours: 7 days — 9 a.m. – midnight
• Online sportsbook: FanDuel Michigan

The launch of the FanDuel Sportsbook was met with much fanfare in March 2020. It’s easy to see why, with 67 HDTV’s, a sports ticker, six betting windows and 54 self-serve kiosks among the amenities waiting for visitors.

3. FireKeepers Casino / Dacey’s Sportsbook

• Name: Dacey’s Sportsbook
• Address: 11177 E Michigan Ave, Battle Creek, MI 49014
• Phone: (877) 352-8777
• Sportsbook hours: M-F: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. S/S: 9 a.m. – midnight
• Online sportsbook: TBD in 2021

Dacey’s Sportsbook has received high marks from Casino Player magazine, and the praise is warranted. Beyond the standard betting windows and kiosks, there’s a bar and restaurant on site, as well as several large video screens to soak in all of the action.

These are three outstanding spots to watch and wager on the NFL, but there are several other stellar options to consider when looking for NFL lines in Michigan. Included on that list are The Onyx Sportsbook by William Hill at Turtle Creek Casino in Williamsburg, and the Four Winds Casino Sportsbook in New Buffalo.

Basic NFL betting strategy

The best NFL betting strategies are all information-based. You likely need to watch NFL games and read and watch everything you can about the league to bet on the NFL successfully.

High-quality research is key. You need to pore over news reports on the internet and consume everything you can about the NFL from multiple sources. The goal is to turn your guesses into informed, educated picks. You also need to watch NFL games, as there is no substitute for seeing what teams and players are capable of with your own eyes.

Of course, you also need to learn how to be selective. You don’t have to bet on every game, just the ones where the information you’ve uncovered shows that one team has an edge.

Plus, you must learn to avoid the tease of multi-game parlays as regular action. Parlays promise big paydays but rarely come through.

• Shop for lines: When you find a side you like, don’t forget to shop around for a price on it. Look at the line at every licensed Michigan sportsbook you can. Shop around for the best price on a bet, too, because finding it is like putting a little money in your pocket, win or lose.
• Fade the public: Lines might move because of injuries to key players and reports of bad weather. But when they move because of big bets or increased action on one side, you should be ready to pounce. When a line moves because the betting public is on one side or the other, you can often fade the public. These movements are artificial. There’s no on-the-field reason for the adjustment. Take advantage by sticking to oddsmakers’ initial predictions, and you can receive a little extra leeway.
• Don’t chase losses: Chasing losses with bigger and more bets is a quick way to go broke. Instead, manage your bankroll by betting the same amount on most occasions. That way, you’ll still have a bankroll when the inevitable winning streak comes around.
• Avoid betting with your heart: Diehard Detroit Lions fans can often make the mistake of betting with their hearts, not their heads. Use information, stats and data to make picks instead.
• They’re favorites for a reason… : NFL longshots offer attractive paydays, but you’ll lose a lot more of these bets than you’ll win. Try mixing in a few favorites with your dogs for better overall results.

How to watch the NFL in Michigan

Live streams of certain games are available for free on the NFL app. This menu includes some Detroit Lions games and nationally broadcast primetime games, such as ESPN’s Monday Night Football and NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

The Yahoo! Sports app or an online streaming package is required if you want to stream NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football games, which will soon move to Amazon Prime. Your cable package is another option to access NFL Network.

If you want online access to the entire NFL schedule, you need to purchase an NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Game Pass package that allows for live streaming of all games (including online replays).

The NFL has granted FOX (NFC) and CBS (AFC) primary TV broadcast rights. As such, you can watch regional NFL games on TV for free. You’ll find most Detroit Lions or Green Bay Packers games on Fox affiliates in Michigan, including:

• Alpena: WBKB-DT2 11.2
• Cadillac (Traverse City): WFQX-TV 32
• Detroit: WJBK 2
• Flint: WSMH 66
• Grand Rapids: WXMI 17
• Lansing: WSYM-TV 47
• Marquette: WLUC-DT2 6.2
• Sault Ste. Marie: WWUP-DT2 10.2 (satellite of WFQX)
• Vanderbilt: WFUP-TV 45 (satellite of WFQX)

Road games against AFC opponents will generally be aired on CBS affiliates in Michigan, including:

• Alpena: WBKB-TV 11
• Bay City (Flint): WNEM-TV 5
• Cadillac (Traverse City): WWTV 9
• Detroit: WWJ-TV 62
• Kalamazoo (Grand Rapids): WWMT 3
• Lansing: WLNS-TV 6
• Sault Ste. Marie: WWUP-TV 10 (satellite of WWTV)

FOX and CBS affiliates also air national games and games of regional interest.

Michigan NFL teams and rivals

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions play in the NFC North Division. The Lions were originally the Portsmouth Spartans, who joined the NFL in 1930, moved to Detroit from southern Ohio in 1934 and were renamed.

The team is owned by Sheila Ford Hamp. She took over the team in June 2020 from her mother, Martha Firestone Ford. Martha is the grandchild of the founders of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. and the widow of Henry Ford’s grandson. William Clay Ford bought the Lions in 1963 and passed controlling interest on to his widow when he died in March 2014. She then passed it to their second-oldest of four children.

The Detroit Lions have won four NFL championships, but the team’s last title came in 1957. Even more frustrating, the Lions have won just one playoff game since then. The Lions have never been to the Super Bowl. The Lions have played home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit since 2002.

2020-21 Detroit Lions

The coronavirus pandemic didn’t stop the 2020 NFL season from taking place, even though it unfolded with a mere fraction of the usual fans in attendance across the country.

Maybe that situation was just as well for diehard Detroit Lions fans, who suffered through another frustrating season and missed out on the agony in person.

The more cynical supporters of the bunch probably would have told you the autumn was cooked after the Lions gave up 21 fourth-quarter points at home to NFC North rival Chicago to turn a 17-point lead into a 27-23 defeat.

But the smallest window of hope arrived after the Lions won three of their next five games, including a 23-22 decision against Atlanta where Matthew Stafford threw a touchdown pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson on the final play of the game. Matt Prater’s extra point with no time on the clock proved the difference.

Yet despite sitting at 3-3, Detroit would win just two more games the rest of the season to finish at 5-11. In six of their final eight losses, the Lions were defeated by double digits.

The season led to an eventual house-cleaning, where head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn were shown the door. In the offseason, longtime starting quarterback Matthew Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a deal that included Jared Goff being sent to Detroit, along with numerous high NFL Draft picks.

Lions’ rivals

The Detroit Lions’ two longest rivals are in the NFC North division and have been playing against the Lions since the team joined the NFL in 1930.

Of course, the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers have enjoyed much more success than the Lions have.

The Bears won eight NFL Championships prior to the AFL-NFL merger, and they also grabbed Super Bowl XX in 1985. The Packers won 11 NFL Championships prior to the AFL-NFL merger and have won Super Bowls I, II, XXXI, and XLV.