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, August vs. July

Michigan sports betting activity ticked upward in August, as a little bit of football helped push increases in most statistical categories compared to July.

Handle, or amount wagered, increased 12.8% in a month-over-month comparison, from $256,764,457 in July to $289,680,651 in August. That also represented a boost of more than 60 million from the handle of about $228.5 million in August 2023.

As always, Michigan sports betting apps drew the vast majority of the action, according to figures from the Michigan Gaming Control Board. The combined handle from online Michigan sportsbook apps was $280,066,450 in August, up 11.9% from the previous month ($250,189,001).

The total adjusted sports betting Gross Gaming Revenue last month was $18,030,221, with $16,336,695 of that coming from online operators. That was a 7.1% increase from July ($16,837,533). But in a odd twist, the combined state tax from mobile and retail outlets went down, declining 16.7% from $1,126,523 in July to $938,516.

Betting Handle Through The Months