It was a banner month for iGaming and mobile sports betting in the Wolverine State, as November is now officially the biggest month in Michigan’s online and retail gaming history.
Betting Bonanza
The folks in Michigan took gambling to new heights in November as the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) recently released its sports betting and iGaming numbers for the month. Online sports betting was more popular than ever, with $650.2 million wagered, besting the previous high of $613.4 million set in December 2023. That massive handle generated $58.3 million in gross gaming revenues, setting a record.
Online Casino Market Thrives
The online casino market also sizzled in November with $226.0 million in revenues, eclipsing the previous high of $220.7 million set in October. This reveals a nearly 29% year-over-year increase. Combining online sports betting and iGaming, November’s gross gaming receipts soared to $284.3 million, up 35.9% from last November.
Taxes collected on adjusted gross gaming receipts totaled $44.4 million to the state of Michigan, another monthly record. Michigan currently has 12 online sports betting operators that also offer iGaming and an additional three that solely offer online casino betting platforms, for a total of 15 operators.
FanDuel led all challengers with a $245.6 million handle and $22 million in gross revenues from online wagering. DraftKings took the No. 2 spot with a $182.7 million handle, generating revenues of $18.3 million. BetMGM ran a distant third with $93.7 million in wagers and $9.6 million in revenues.
Caesars Making Moves
The iconic Las Vegas brand, Caesars Entertainment, purchased WynnBET’s gaming license and partnered with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to gain access to the Michigan market in June of this year.
Caesars has been strategic in navigating its online gaming presence, and in October, the company launched its Horseshoe online casino betting platform to complement its Caesars Palace Online Casino.
Expansion Through Michigan Operations
Matt Sunderland, SVP and Chief iGaming Officer for Caesars Entertainment, said, “As we continue to grow our iGaming franchise, the assumption of WynnBET’s iGaming operations in Michigan allows us to tap into a significant market and customer base, providing a crucial step forward in growing our digital products and offering players more ways to play.”
Austin Lowes, chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, said of the partnership with Caesars, “It was paramount that our next partner in iGaming possessed both expertise in the U.S. iGaming market and a history of strong partnerships in Indian country. We believe we found that with Caesars and look forward to being part of their new iCasino offering.”
Competing with Industry Leaders
Caesars’ high-profile presence in the world of retail gambling has helped the brand establish itself in the digital market. However, the industry leaders, FanDuel and DraftKings, continue to dominate as they were the most well-equipped entering the mobile gaming market due to their database of millions of daily fantasy sports customers that were in place before mobile sports betting became legal in 2018.
