For the first time, Michigan sports betting topped $500 million in total handle in November, breaking the record it set in October.
Almost as impressive as the total sports handle, was the revenue that was generated by the Michigan sports betting.
The total sports handle in November was $500.5 million, after the state nearly reached the milestone in October ($497.5 million). The handle was up 0.6% in November. October was the first time Michigan topped $400 million in a month since the market launched in January. It has now gone over $500 million.
The Michigan November mobile sports betting handle was a record $473.8 million, up 2.3% from October’s $463.3 million. The mobile number in October was the previous record.
Michigan retail sportsbooks saw handle fall 22% in November ($26.7 million) from October’s $32.5 million.
Michigan Sports Betting, November vs. October
| Total handle | Mobile handle | Revenue (GGR) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| November | $500.521M | $473.827M | $38.787M |
| October | $497.565M | $463.344M | $7.334M |
| Change | Up 0.6% | Up 2.3% | Up 429% |
Here are three takeaways in the report posted Thursday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board:
Revenue, Taxes Paid Rise Sharply in Michigan
The November revenue was a new record by a wide margin.
The total adjusted gross gaming revenue from sports betting was $38.8 million ($34.5 million online, $4.3 million retail), up 429% from October’s $7.3 million ($4.7 million online, $2.6 million retail). The previous record was $21.9 million, set in March, which was just the second full month of online sports betting in the state.
Michigan launched online sports betting on Jan. 22 with 10 online sportsbooks.
It was a good sign that revenue rose in November at the retail sportsbooks, with qualified adjusted gross receipts going from $2.64 million in October to $4.33 million, up 63.7%.
State taxes paid in November totaled just under $1.8 million ($1.6 million online, $163,625 retail). The total was an increase of 170.6% from October’s $652,884 in taxes paid.
Mobile Dominates in Michigan
The mobile handle was 94.7% of the market, a slight tick up from 93% in October. The November mobile sports betting handle of $473.8 million surpassed the previous record by more than $10 million.
While sports betting started in the retail sportsbooks at the Detroit casinos, the percentage of online bets placed on Michigan sports betting apps is similar to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which have been established much longer than Michigan.
From an operator standpoint online, DraftKings (partnered with Bay Mills Indian Community) was No. 1 with a handle of $126.3 million. FanDuel (partnered with MotorCity Casino in Detroit) was second with $115.2 million, followed by BetMGM (at MGM Grand Detroit) at $100.8 million.
A 15th online sportsbook is expected to launch in Michigan after Kambi and Saginaw Chippewa Gaming Enterprises announced a partnership in November.
Michigan-Ohio State Betting Available
For the first time in Michigan, bettors were able to bet on the Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes football game in late November. Retail sports betting launched in March 2020, but the pandemic shut it down almost immediately. The 2020 Michigan-Ohio State game was canceled because of the pandemic. As noted previously, online sports betting didn’t launch until late January.
The No. 2 Wolverines will be in the College Football Playoff after beating Ohio State, then winning the Big Ten title game over Iowa in December. Michigan faces the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs on Dec. 31 in the Orange Bowl. The winner of that game advances to the CFP championship game on Jan 10 in Indianapolis.
Along with one of college football biggest rivalry games in November, NFL betting continues to produce for Michigan despite the Lions struggling mightily.
The Detroit Lions lost their annual Thanksgiving Day game, but they finally won their first game of the season in early December.
