Whether you’re a diehard fan of America’s greatest pastime, a soccer enthusiast, or an NFL aficionado, almost every American has a sporting occasion that they insist on catching each time it comes around.
Of course, with a love of sports also comes the excitement of betting on the outcome. While not yet legal in every state, the interest surrounding mobile sports betting in particular has been increasing steadily since its legalization by the Supreme Court.
Mobile betting is now readily available in 26 states, and this number will only grow in the coming years as those close to passing legislation complete the process.
So, with this in mind, we’re going to look at how prevalent interest in online betting is in Michigan, and whether this interest in Michigan betting apps is consistent with other states across the U.S.
The Wolverine State Shows Out
Legalized in early January 2021, gamblers in Michigan have been able to enjoy the full benefits of online sports betting for more than two years. As a result, the Wolverine State represents one of the most successful examples of legalizing online betting in America.
Like the majority of states that have legalized this form of betting, those wishing to take part in Michigan sports betting must be 21 years or older and be physically in the state. With this confirmed, those interested in placing wagers have a veritable buffet of operators to consider.
But what’s the secret to Michigan’s success and continued interest? Well, besides its early adoption by the state, it may very well have something to do with Michigan’s standard tax rates and its diehard sports fanbases – both of which make it the ideal location for sports betting.
But how does Michigan compare to the rest of the nation?
Methodology
To help us find out just which state’s population has the most interest in mobile sports betting, we decided to take 50 of America’s widely used sportsbooks and analyze how many people were searching for them online.
Treating their names as our keywords, we were able to discover their associated search volumes for the past 12 months, which in turn let us calculate the total search volume around each one and rank each state accordingly.
With this information in hand, we can now reveal the top states that are searching for sportsbooks in the U.S.
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Nevada, New Jersey Set Pace
Looking at the popularity of mobile betting in Michigan, it makes sense that this state managed to crack the top 5 of our rankings, likely thanks to its early adoption compared to other markets.
With 26.0 searches per 100 people over the last 12-month period, it seems interest in gambling for those living in this state is nowhere close to waning, and it’s only likely to grow in the coming years.
But when it comes to the top state for gambling interests, it’s doubtful anyone will be surprised to hear that Nevada is miles ahead of other states. With betting online being legal in the state since 2010, and people providing 43.0 searches per 100 in the space of a year, Nevada isn’t going to lose its gambling crown any time soon.
In second place on our rankings came New Jersey, whose residents provided a search ranking of 38.4 per 100 people, potentially thanks to their early adoption of gambling online in July 2018.
As for our third-place contender, New York came in strong, offering 26.7 searches over 12 months, even though they only legalized mobile in January 2022, indicating an eagerness of people to start trying their luck at putting a bet down.
And finally, in fourth, came Pennsylvania, whose interested gamblers made 26.5 searches for sportsbooks per 100 people out of a population of 3,431,680, which could be down to the sheer volume of other gambling-friendly states that surround it.
Numbers to Know
So, we know which states came in at the top when displaying interest in mobile sports betting, but are there any outliers – specifically in states that have yet to legalize betting online?
Well, despite the dominant trend appearing to be people in gambling states showing more interest, we did notice a few outliers.
Kentucky, which is yet to legalize any form of sports betting, came 7th on our list. There were 20.8 searches per 100 people in the last 12 months, which suggests a strong interest in the topic, and with new legislation set to be passed in the not-too-distant future, online sports betting could soon be a reality in the Bluegrass State.
Other states of interest also included Kentucky’s next-door neighbor, Missouri. Although there seems to be little gambling interest in Missouri – it only ranked 37th on our list – both it and Kentucky are surrounded on all sides by gambling states, which begs the question as to why Missouri’s population show far less interest in the topic than Kentucky’s.
And as a final point, gamblers in Maine may have something to be excited about in the not-too-distant future. While not legal yet, the legalization of online sports betting in this state is pending, with approval aimed for the very near future.
And there you have it. That’s how Michigan compares to other states for online betting.
Naturally, for more betting observations, keep it here at BetMichigan, also home to the latest news on operators like DraftKings Michigan Sportsbook and FanDuel Michigan Sportsbook.
