Michigan Sports Bettors Wager $237.6 Million In May, Down 4.9% From April

Written By Matt Schoch on June 15, 2021
Michigan Online Sports Betting Numbers May 2021

The Michigan online sports betting market continued its slide into the slow summer months in May, falling 4.9% to $237.6 million in wagers.

The numbers, released Tuesday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, represented a continued and expected tempering for MI online sports betting after a strong wintertime start. A considerable uptick is expected this fall for football season.

FanDuel Sportsbook once again led the field with $71.2 million of sports betting handle, good for a 30.0% market share. DraftKings Sportsbook was second with $66.7 million in bets, a 28.1% share. BetMGM Sportsbook was third ($51.6 million, 21.7% share) and Barstool Sportsbook was fourth ($18.2 million, 7.7% share).

Licensee Online Brand Total Handle Online Handle Retail Handle Revenue (GGR) Promos State Tax Local Tax
MotorCity FanDuel $77,633,048 $71,158,909 $6,474,139 $10,029,621 $1,901,782 $412,649 $280,163
Bay Mills DraftKings $66,743,390 $66,743,390 ? $1,900,614 $2,681,745 $0 $0
MGM Grand BetMGM $59,528,525 $51,580,090 $7,948,435 $5,657,697 $2,511,130 $176,571 $122,044
Greektown Barstool $23,955,701 $18,181,398 $5,774,302 $1,743,158 $369,217 $67,420 $57,208
Lac Vieux Desert PointsBet $11,441,407 $11,441,407 ? $1,011,252 $1,104,331 $0 $0
Grand Traverse William Hill $6,153,332 $6,153,332 ? $217,050 $224,200 $0 $0
Little Traverse Bay Fox Bet $5,087,919 $5,087,919 ? $338,049 $132,333 $17,280 $0
Little River BetRivers $2,834,528 $2,834,528 ? $76,004 $117,316 $0 $0
Hannahville TwinSpires $1,483,408 $1,483,408 ? $95,645 $200,199 $0 $0
Sault Ste. Marie WynnBet $1,417,570 $1,417,570 ? $168,874 $81,641 $7,328 $0
Keweenaw Bay Golden Nugget $923,269 $923,269 ? $10,750 $28,553 $0 $0
Pokagon Four Winds $545,937 $545,937 ? -$20,000 $251,295 $0 $0
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish ? $0 ? $0 $0 $0 $0
Nottawaseppi Huron ? $0 ? $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $257,748,035 $237,551,158 $20,196,877 $21,228,714 $9,603,743 $681,248 $459,415

Barstool down, DraftKings up in operator horse race

Barstool’s market share continues to dip in Michigan. It started at 23.9% in January’s 10 days after launch, then fell to 13.3% in February, 11.0% in March, 9.9% in April and now to 7.7%.

DraftKings, Golden Nugget Sportsbook, BetRivers Sportsbook and Four Winds Sportsbook were the only four of the 12 operators to see an increase in May handle from April.

DraftKings, in part by again leading in promotional spend at $2.7 million, inched closer to FanDuel for the top spot. After overtaking BetMGM for the No. 2 position last month, it also distanced its sports betting lead in May over the state’s internet gaming leader.

Add Detroit retail books, and $257.7 million bet in May

Combined with Detroit retail sportsbook numbers released June 8, $257.7 million was bet on sports in May, not counting money wagered at tribal sportsbooks throughout the state. That amount was down 6.0% from $274.2 million in April.

Tribal locations’ numbers from the state’s 12 federally recognized tribes are not reported to the MGCB. The tribes are sovereign groups.

Online sports betting operators made $19.5 million in May revenue, paying $615,153 in taxes to the state of Michigan and $378,632 to the city of Detroit.

Since the Jan. 22 launch, $94.9 million in revenue has been raised in MI sports betting revenue, coincidentally right near the monthly revenue figures for internet gaming in both April and May.

In all since launch, sports betting has raised $1.7 million in state taxes and $1.0 million in taxes and fees for the city of Detroit.

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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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