All About Michigan Handle And Revenue
The experts at BetMichigan.com have assembled this guide to explain what we mean when we talk about Michigan sports betting financial figures, which include handle, revenue, adjusted gross receipts and tax collections.
Michigan has one of the most expansive menus of legal gambling options in the United States. Michigan has Tribal and commercial casinos; retail and mobile sports gambling; and online casino games (also called iGaming) with options such as slots, table games and internet poker.
Tribal casino gambling in Michigan predated the commercial casinos in Detroit. In 1993, the state signed compacts with several federally recognized tribes in Michigan to conduct Class III gaming on their lands, but some tribal gaming operated even before that time. In 1996, Michigan voters approved commercial casino gambling for Detroit, which allowed for three casinos. They opened from 1999 to 2000.
Near the end of 2019, the state legislature legalized a raft of gambling options, including in-person and online sports gambling, iGaming and fantasy sports. Commercial and tribal casinos could have retail sports betting and Michigan sportsbook apps. The first in-person sports bet was made in March 2020 and online sports gambling launched in early 2021.
Michigan Sports Betting, March vs. February
| Total handle | Mobile handle | Revenue (GGR) |
March | $487.163M | $475.086M | $15.171M |
February | $388.079M | $379.840M | $28.060M |
Change | Up 25.5% | Up 25.1% | Down 45.9% |
The madness of March helped bolster Michigan’s online and retail sports betting numbers. The third month of the calendar year delivered a 25.5% month-over-month surge in total wagering handle to offset a 45.9% drop in gross gaming revenue, much of the action coming during the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Overall, Michigan’s sports betting handle for both retail and online wagers wrapped up March at $487,163,311, up 25.5% from February ($388,079,420) in a month-over-month comparison. The Great Lakes State’s mobile sports betting handle finished March at $475,085,598, up 25.1% from February ($379,839,807), according to figures that the Michigan Gaming Control Board reported on April 17.
For retail operators, things were even rosier in March with a 46.6% increase in wagers accepted, from February’s $8,239,613 to $12,077,713 last month.
That helped to deliver $15,170,713 in total gross gaming revenue for online and retail wagers combined, with $14,599,498 of that from online sports wagers. That overall sum was down 45.9% from February’s $28,060,100, when $27,244,539 came from online wagers and another $815,561 from brick-and-mortar outlets.
The final data point for March saw Michigan sports betting operators chip in $895,644 in sports betting state taxes. That was a 42.9% decrease from February’s tax bill of $1,557,309, of which $1,526,481 came from online bets.
Betting Handle Through The Months
Handle and Revenue FAQs
In Michigan in 2024, sports betting handle was about $5.5 billion, a 14.6% increase over the 2023 total of $4.8 billion. Adjusted gross sports betting receipts were just above $204 million last year, a 14% dip from the $237.4 million collected at mobile and retail sportsbooks combined in the previous year. Adjusted gross receipts include deductions for the monetary value of free play incentives provided to and waged by bettors. Internet taxes, fees and payments from sports gambling from both Tribal and casino operators were about $14.695 million in 2024.
Author
The veteran team of Michigan sports betting and casino experts behind BetMichigan.com help you find the best operators in the state.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as:
