Michigan Sports Bettors Wager $229.8 Million In August, State Crosses $7 Billion In All-Time Handle

Written By Drew Ellis on September 20, 2022

Michigan online casinos brought in $130.9 million in revenue in a strong August, pushing that all-time number above $2 billion

Michigan sportsbooks saw the first signs of the football season increase in August 2022, reporting a total handle of $229.8 million. While just a 2.1% increase from July, it’s still a 10.1% increase from August of 2021. With August’s numbers, Michigan crossed the $7 billion mark in all-time sports betting handle.

Michigan online casinos and poker saw another small spike in revenue from last month. Internet gaming generated $130.9 million in revenue, up 3.4% from the $126.6 million generated in June. Michigan has now surpassed $2 billion in all-time online casino revenue.

“August should be the final month of modest numbers for Michigan sportsbooks, as football season will start to take them back near the $400 million mark in September,” said Paul Costanzo, lead analyst at Playinmichigan. “Still, $229.8 million is a 10% improvement on August 2021, telling us the industry continues to thrive in its second full year of legal sports betting. The state has also crossed the $7 billion mark in all-time handle. Online casinos, meanwhile, continue to be season-proof, which is a huge benefit for operators and the state.”

August 2022 Michigan sports betting numbers

Here are the top-line numbers from the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

  • Handle: $229.8 million ($218.8 million online)
  • Revenue: $25.7 million ($24.0 million online)
  • Hold: 11.2% (up from 10.2% last month)
  • Month-over-month: Handle increased 2.1%
  • August sports betting taxes: $1.49 million to the state and $437,746 to local entities.
  • Top online sports betting app by handle: FanDuel Sportsbook MI with $72.4 million
  • Top online sports betting app by revenue: FanDuel with $7.7 million

August 2022 Michigan online casino revenue

Online casinos in Michigan continued to bring in big numbers in August:

  • Online casino revenue: $130.9 million, up 3.4% from July
  • August online casino tax payments: $24.2 million to state and $9.2 million to local entities
  • Top online casino app by revenue: BetMGM Michigan with $49.3 million

Top takeaways from August 2022 Michigan online gambling numbers

Two big milestones crossed

Two new milestones were hit in August 2022. Sports betting in Michigan surpassed the $7 billion mark for all-time handle. That includes online and retail sports betting.

Also, Michigan’s all-time online casino revenue surpassed $2 billion in August. That happened in just 20 months (19.5 when you consider it began late in January 2021).

By comparison, it took Pennsylvania 30 months to reach the $2 billion threshold. It took New Jersey a total of 81 months to get to that mark.

Clearly Michigan got itself in position to be ready with double-digit operators available upon launch 20 months ago.

Along with $2 billion in revenue for the industry, it has generated $527.6 million in tax revenue for Michigan.

End of the summer sports betting lull

Michigan’s sports betting numbers should begin to see a big boost starting in September with football season back in full swing.

With August’s numbers released, latest projections from PlayUSA call for Michigan to produce over $2 billion in handle over the next four months of the year.

Here’s a look at the latest month-to-month handle projections:

  • Sept. 2022: $402.1 million
  • Oct. 2022: $542.9 million
  • Nov. 2022: $548.3 million
  • Dec. 2022: $531.9 million

Altogether, that would be a 6.6% handle increase from the $1.9 billion wagered during Sept.-Dec. of 2021.

Growth trends hold steady for online casinos

The $130.9 million in iGaming revenue for August is the third-highest total all-time for Michigan over the last 20 months.

A year ago, online casinos generated just $97.2 million in revenue. August 2022’s revenue continues a year-over-year growth pattern that we’ve been seeing throughout the year.

Each month in 2022 has been at least 34% higher in revenue than the month the year before.

  • February: 54.1% growth from 2021
  • March: 38.5% growth from 2021
  • April: 39.5% growth from 2021
  • May: 34.2% growth from 2021
  • June: 36.2% growth from 2021
  • July: 37.2% growth from 2021
  • August: 34.7% growth from 2021

Michigan August 2022 sports betting handle and revenue by operator

Licensee Online Brand Handle Revenue Hold Taxes
MotorCity FanDuel $74,842,881 $8,080,518 10.8% $550,720
Bay Mills DraftKings $52,549,120 $6,278,381 11.9% $373,183
MGM Grand Detroit BetMGM $48,939,869 $5,789,263 11.8% $380,063
Greektown Barstool $20,155,233 $1,690,085 8.4% $132,744
Grand Traverse Caesars $15,342,990 $1,687,385 11.0% $0
Lac Vieux Desert PointsBet $5,702,678 $908,620 15.9% $0
Little River BetRivers $4,339,841 $392,418 9.0% $18,253
Sault Ste. Marie WynnBet $1,675,368 $161,603 9.6% $12,413
Little Traverse Bay Fox Bet $1,666,553 $314,301 18.9% $21,380
Nottawaseppi Huron FireKeepers $1,086,387 $90,400 8.3% $0
Sagniaw Chippewa Eagle $1,076,450 $101,938 9.5% $0
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish betParx $975,428 $70,284 7.2% $0
Keweenaw Bay Golden Nugget $680,109 $67,709 10.0% $1,468
Pokagon Four Winds $454,725 $19,594 4.3% $0
Hannahville TwinSpires $309,845 $2,351 0.8% $0
Total $229,797,476 $25,654,849 11.2% $1,490,223

Michigan August 2022 online casino revenue by operator

Licensee Brand Revenue Promos Taxes
MGM Grand Detroit BetMGM $49,327,377 $4,932,738 $12,985,432
Bay Mills DraftKings $19,362,312 $1,936,231 $5,794,172
MotorCity FanDuel $19,328,906 $1,932,891 $5,088,334
Little River BetRivers $9,002,084 $1,277,744 $2,162,815
Keweenaw Bay Golden Nugget $7,196,304 $719,630 $1,813,469
Grand Traverse Caesars $5,912,623 $591,262 $1,489,981
Greektown Barstool $3,898,732 $389,873 $1,026,341
Sault Ste. Marie WynnBet $3,770,271 $377,027 $950,108
Pokagon Four Winds $2,879,949 $287,995 $725,747
Sagniaw Chippewa Eagle $2,785,621 $278,562 $551,553
Little Traverse Bay Fox Bet $2,560,195 $256,019 $645,169
Nottawaseppi Huron FireKeepers $1,756,493 $175,649 $377,645
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish betParx $1,677,384 $167,738 $422,701
Lac Vieux Desert PointsBet $936,755 $94,800 $185,230
Hannahville TwinSpires $529,188 $9,315 $114,372
Total $130,924,194 $13,427,475 $34,333,070

Photo by Shutterstock
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Drew Ellis

Drew Ellis is the Lead Writer of Playinmichigan, the No. 1 source for online gambling news in Michigan. A lifelong resident of the state, Ellis has been working in various forms of media since 1998, including more than a decade in the sports betting industry prior to transitioning into US casino markets in 2020.

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