Gun Lake, Parx Cleared To Add Online Sports Betting To Play Gun Lake Casino

Written By Matt Schoch on July 30, 2021
Play Gun Lake Sports Betting Launch July 2021

The 14th Michigan online sports betting platform will launch next week.

On Friday, the Michigan Gaming Control Board authorized the Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan and platform provider Parx Interactive to add online sports betting at 9 a.m. Monday. The partnership had already launched Play Gun Lake online casino in April.

“With Gun Lake Casino now fully authorized, 14 current Michigan operators and their platform providers may offer both internet casino gaming and online sports betting to patrons,” said MGCB executive director Henry Williams in a news release. “The associated revenue payments will support responsible gaming, the First Responder Presumed Coverage Fund, K-12 education and economic development.”

Michigan’s 15th online gambling license holder, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, has indicated it will launch products branded as its Soaring Eagle Casino property. No current timetable is available, however. The tribe has partnered with GAN for sports betting.

Gun Lake Tribe partnered with Parx, but still using self brand

The Gun Lake Tribe, which operators Gun Lake Casino in Wayland near Grand Rapids, is somewhat splitting the difference on branding.

Unlike Soaring Eagle, Four Winds Casino and FireKeepers Casino operators, the Gun Lake Tribe partnered with an outside casino brand in Parx Casino of Pennsylvania.

Marketing efforts have been made to push the PA brand in Michigan, as the Parx Casino brand showed up on the sideline advertising board at Detroit Pistons games this past season.

That suggests the sports betting platform could be branded as Parx, after Play Gun Lake was the choice for the casino brand.

Playinmichigan has reached out to Gun Lake Casino for branding, website and launch plans, but has not yet heard back. We will update this story when we have more information.

Gun Lake Casino launched on-site sports betting in October, and Kambi provides odds for the partnership with Parx.

Play Gun Lake 11th in June online casino revenue

Play Gun Lake has not yet made much headway in the competitive Michigan online casino market, though it has already edged some competitors.

Through June, the platform reported $1.27 million in online casino revenue and $1.14 million in adjusted revenue following adjustments for free play promotions. Its $585,200 of June revenue was more than PointsBet Casino, William Hill Casino and FireKeepers, which had a soft launch in June before opening wide in early July.

The Gun Lake and Parx partnership has paid $183,131 in state taxes since its April online launch.

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Matt Schoch

A Michigan native, Matt has worked at newspapers in Michigan, Missouri and the Virgin Islands. A versatile sports reporter, Matt has covered sailing on the Great Lakes, cricket in the Caribbean, high school and pro playoffs, and the Olympics in Rio. He’s also the former host of the Locked On Pistons Podcast and producer of a documentary on Emoni Bates. A former blackjack dealer, Matt has studied the industry from all sides.

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