All About Michigan Handle And Revenue

The experts at BetMichigan.com have assembled this guide to explain what we mean when we talk about Michigan sports betting financial figures, which include handle, revenue, adjusted gross receipts and tax collections.

Michigan has one of the most expansive menus of legal gambling options in the United States. Michigan has Tribal and commercial casinos; retail and mobile sports gambling; and online casino games (also called iGaming) with options such as slots, table games and internet poker.

Tribal casino gambling in Michigan predated the commercial casinos in Detroit. In 1993, the state signed compacts with several federally recognized tribes in Michigan to conduct Class III gaming on their lands, but some tribal gaming operated even before that time. In 1996, Michigan voters approved commercial casino gambling for Detroit, which allowed for three casinos. They opened from 1999 to 2000. 

Near the end of 2019, the state legislature legalized a raft of gambling options, including in-person and online sports gambling, iGaming and fantasy sports. Commercial and tribal casinos could have retail sports betting and Michigan sportsbook apps. The first in-person sports bet was made in March 2020 and online sports gambling launched in early 2021.

Michigan Sports Betting, December vs. November

Michigan sports betting ended 2024 on a strong note as December produced the second-largest monthly handle of the year.

According to data from the Michigan Gaming Control Board, posted on Jan. 21, bettors wagered $617,500,845 during the month. That was down 8% from the $671,219,907 all-sources handle reported for November, which set a state record. Nearly 97%, or $597,733,281, was bet through the state’s 12 licensed online operators. That was down 8.1% from the record $650,228,980 wagered through the apps in November.

The state’s retail sportsbooks accepted $19,767,564 in bets during December, a 5.8% decline from the November handle of $20,990,927.

The handle dipped slightly from November partly because there was one fewer NFL weekend, as well as a significant reduction in college football games. However, the sportsbooks’ adjusted revenues fell sharply.

The apps and sportsbooks reported earning $544,390 in AGR for December, with brick-and-mortar outlets ($276,509) slightly outpacing online operators ($267,881). That total was down 98.6% from the $38,972,229 the licensees won in November. Of that, online operators earned $37,057,512, compared to retailers’ $1,914,717.

The decline in revenue also led to a steep drop in tax revenue. The 8.4% tax generated $230,584 in December, with $214,291 coming from online operators and $16,293 from brick-and-mortar units. That represented an 88.6% decline from the $2,020,482 collected in November, with online operators paying $1,948,106 and retailers paying $72,376.

With December’s totals reported, Michigan sports bettors wagered $5,511,011,496 during 2024, up 14.6% from the 2023 handle of $4,810,903,877. The operators generated $204,069,625 in revenue in 2024, a 14% decrease from the $237,427,419 they earned the year prior.

Betting Handle Through The Months