All About Michigan Sports Betting 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, June vs. May

Michigan Sports Betting Handle and Revenue: June 2024

The big news for Michigan online sportsbooks in June was the large amount of money chalked up for revenue. The large amount of money lost, that is.

Michigan set a state record with minus-$27,322,634 in total adjusted sports betting gross gaming revenue in June, including more than $28.2 million in the red for online Michigan sportsbooks.

How did that happen? According to a Michigan Gaming Control Board release, it was because of “a $48.2 million free play deduction taken by one of the operators, MGM Grand Detroit / BetMGM, which had not previously been taken.”

The other online sports betting operators in the state combined to pay $1,132,156 in taxes last month. When combined with brick-and-mortar outlets, the total June sports betting state tax was $1,165,221, down 36.9% from May’s $1,846,175 ($1,775,914 online, $70,261 retail).

As for total sportsbook handle (online and retail combined) in June, that fell 19.6% in a month-over-month comparison, from $354,836,012 in May to $285,170,266 in June. Of that amount wagered, $276.75 million was online, or about 97%.

This drop in handle in typical for sportsbooks across the country in summer; wagering action will pick up when the NFL and college football resume in the fall.

Michigan Mobile Sports Betting History