NBA Betting In Michigan

Betting on the NBA is as popular in the Great Lakes State as anywhere else in the country.

Here’s a complete look at how to bet on the NBA in Michigan, including where you can bet, live odds direct from Michigan online sportsbooks, and a guide to what you can bet on. We also answer some of the biggest questions about NBA betting, NBA odds, and offer NBA betting tips as well.

Live NBA odds at Michigan Online Sportsbooks

Check the live feed below for daily NBA odds at Michigan online sportsbooks. Use the drop-down menu to change your odds board. Click on any odds to jump right to the sportsbook, open a new account, and get your NBA bets down. Check the second tab below for current futures odds for NBA champion, Conference winners, and NBA MVP.

How to bet on the NBA in Michigan

The NBA is one of the most fun, exciting, and easiest sports to bet on in Michigan. If you’re 21 or older, you can bet on the NBA in person at retail sportsbooks across the state. Plus, as long as you’re inside state lines, you can bet on the NBA through Michigan online sportsbooks.

All Michigan sportsbooks allow you to book the following basic single-game wagers on all NBA games:

  • Moneyline: Pick a team to win and lock in the bet at posted odds. The odds will either be negative (favorite) or positive (underdog). Negative odds indicate how much you need to bet to win $100 plus your bet back. Positive odds indicate how much you stand to win, plus your bet back, for every $100 you bet.
  • Point Spread: A spread bet factors in the difference in talent between two teams by determining a number of points a team must win or lose by. If the spread was Pistons -3, the Pistons would have to win by at least three points for your bet to cash.
  • Total or Over/Under: Bet on whether the total combined score for both teams will be more or less than the line set by oddsmakers.

You can also book parlays, which allow you to combine two or more of the basic bets listed above into one. You will get paid better odds than individual bets, but there’s a catch. All the bets in the parlay must win for you to get paid.

NBA futures and props

Michigan sportsbooks also offer NBA futures markets where you can bet on various teams to win the NBA finals, their division, conference, or a portion of games throughout the season.

NBA futures are available all year long, although the odds are adjusted throughout the season.

You can also bet on NBA props at Michigan sportsbooks. NBA props are bets on various things within a game, including whether certain players or teams will reach specific statistical milestones.

Props and futures may also include bets on a player to win any one of the annual NBA awards, like the MVP or Defensive Player of the Year.

Futures may also include bets on a team to make the NBA Playoffs or win an NBA Playoffs series.

NBA live betting

Michigan gambling law allows for live betting on NBA games, which is betting in the middle of an NBA game on odds that change with the action.

The speed at which the action and the odds change makes live betting better suited to online and mobile wagering, where you can bet faster than you might in a retail sportsbook environment.

Live betting presents a variety of unique betting opportunities for gamblers who watch NBA games. Live betting allows you to hedge bets that look like winners, pile on the winnings, or quickly make up for pre-game betting mistakes.

Where can you bet on the NBA in Michigan?

Going out to watch the NBA is now that much better here in Michigan. You can now place your bets in person with the latest odds and lines at a number of great spots, including:

MGM Grand Detroit

  • Name: BetMGM Sports Lounge
  • Address: 1777 3rd Ave, Detroit, MI 48226
  • Phone: (877) 888-2121
  • Sportsbook hours: 7 days – 9 a.m – 11 p.m
  • Lounge hours: 7 days – 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Online sportsbook: BetMGM Michigan Sportsbook 

One of the first retail sports betting outlets in Michigan, the BetMGM Sports Lounge has a full-service bar and a wide range of seating options. You can catch the games on 60 HDTVs and place your bets at one of six betting windows or 14 self-serve kiosks.

Turtle Creek Casino

  • Name: Caesars Sportsbook
  • Address: 7741 M-72, Williamsburg, MI 49690
  • Phone: (231) 534-8870
  • Sportsbook hours: M-Th: Noon – 12 a.m. Fr/Sa: 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. Su: 10 a.m. – Midnight.
  • Online sportsbook: Caesars Sportsbook

If you head to Caesars Sportsbook, you’ll find much more than betting windows and kiosks for wagering. There’s a full-service bar, an outdoor patio, and even complimentary games for those who are looking to kick things up a notch.

Leelanau Sands Casino

  • Name: Leelanau Sands Casino
  • Address: 2521 N West Bay Shore Dr, Peshawbestown, MI 49682
  • Phone: (231) 534-8100
  • Sportsbook hours: 7 days – 10 a.m. – 2 a.m.
  • Online sportsbook: Caesars Sportsbook

The Caesars brand can also be found at sister property Turtle Creek. At this location, self-serve kiosks are there for your wagering needs, while the casino itself has plenty of amenities and dining options to enjoy.

There are a number of other great spots to head out and wager on some hoops action across Michigan. Among the spots to check out are the 131 Sportsbook & Lounge at Gun Lake Casino in Wayland, and Barstool Sportsbook at Greektown Casino-Hotel in Detroit.

The NBA in Michigan

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are Michigan’s only NBA team. Based in Detroit, the Pistons play in Little Caesars Arena in Midtown Detroit, which opened in 2017.

The Pistons have won three NBA titles, including the “Bad Boys” teams in 1989 and 1990, featuring stars Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, and Bill Laimbeer, and the 2004 team led by Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, and Rasheed Wallace.

The “Bad Boys” teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s cemented the Pistons’ reputation as one of the toughest teams in the NBA.

Check tonight’s Detroit Pistons odds.

The 2022–23 NBA season

There wasn’t much buzz surrounding the Detroit Pistons leading into the 2022-23 season. Point Guard Cade Cunningham returned for his sophomore outing, but shin surgery benched him for the remainder of the season. Rounding out the Pistons roster are Killian Hayes,  Jaden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart, and Jalen Duren.

Bet on the WNBA in Michigan

You can also bet on the WNBA and WNBA games at Michigan legal sportsbooks.

Fewer teams and fewer games mean less parity in the WNBA, making it an attractive league for sports bettors.

The Detroit Shock was Michigan’s WNBA team from 1998 to 2009. The team was coached by Bad Boys-era Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer from 2002 to 2009 when it won three WNBA titles, in 2003, 2006, and 2008.

The Shock moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 2010 season. In 2015, the Tulsa Shock moved to Dallas-Fort Worth and became the Dallas Wings.

The 2023 WNBA season runs from May 19 through September 10.

NBA betting strategy

The best NBA betting strategies are developed with real-life data put together by people who watch games and conduct exhaustive research. However, they always start with a clear understanding of how NBA betting lines are built.

NBA lines are set based on several factors, including:

  • Scheduling and location
  • Historical matchups
  • Lineups
  • Performance data

Oddsmakers often lean on a few fundamental principles as well, including the fact:

  • The best NBA team almost always wins
  • A home-court advantage exists
  • Only a few baskets decide most NBA games

You should also be considering all these factors when betting on the NBA because oddsmakers certainly are.

Line movement and line shopping

You should also shop around. The same line will be different at different sportsbooks, and there is no doubt there is some value to be found by shopping around for the best lines at Michigan sportsbooks.

If you can lay a lower price on favorites or get a better one on an underdog, you’ll be putting money in your pocket instead of the sportsbook. The launch of online and mobile betting in Michigan made this infinitely easier.

You should also look for an NBA line movement. NBA betting lines only move because of injuries, or because the betting action is one-sided.

It is understandable when a line moves because of an injury. Teams are forced to provide the lineup a half-hour before tipoff, and if a key player is missing, sportsbooks are right to adjust lines for the game.

It’s tougher to see why a line moves because of increased activity on one side. Essentially, sportsbooks are moving the NBA betting line to reduce their exposure.

This kind of movement is considered artificial. There’s no on-the-court reason for it, and it gives you the chance to take advantage of better prices. Oddsmakers are rarely wrong, so a bet on oddsmakers being right when they first set the line is always a good one.

Beginner NBA betting tips

The following five NBA betting tips for beginners are a great place to start when developing your own NBA betting strategy:

  1. Stars win: The best players in the NBA can sometimes win games all by themselves, but they can’t do much on the sidelines in a suit. Make sure to check injury reports to see who’s playing and who isn’t.
  2. Buzzer beaters: Most NBA games are decided by a single bucket. Find big spreads and take advantage of them by backing underdogs with a history of keeping games close.
  3. Few surprises: There simply aren’t that many upsets in the NBA. But as much as you can bet on the best team winning more often than not, there’s usually not much to choose from between the league’s upper-echelon teams.
  4. There’s no place like home: The home-court advantage is real in the NBA. Shop around for the best price you can find on home favorites and hammer away.
  5. Extra, extra: Read all about the NBA and watch as many games as you can before you bet. Become an expert on certain teams and bet on them exclusively to take advantage of the fact oddsmakers have to follow the entire NBA and can’t.

FAQ

 

NBA spreads generally work the same as other sports. Sportsbooks set a line on each game and that number is deducted from the favorite’s final score to determine betting winners.

Favorites need to win by these points or more to cover. Underdogs cover when they either win the game or lose by less than the points.

Since most NBA games are decided by one or two baskets, NBA spreads are generally low. However, you can also bet alternative spreads at adjusted odds at most Michigan sportsbooks.

 

NBA totals are over/under bets on a line combining the score of both teams. If the total combined score hits the line exactly, all bets push and are returned. A half-point is often added to totals lines.

Overtime counts, unless the sportsbook specifies, which is why anyone betting the over is usually smiling when teams are tied at the end of regulation. An additional five minutes of play almost guarantees the over.