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, October vs. September

Michigan sports betting kept rising along with the fortunes of the state’s NFL team in October.

The amount of wagers accepted at Michigan sportsbooks – also known as handle – increased 11.2% in the 10th month of the year compared to September. That October run coincided with the Detroit Lions starting their ascent to their new role as Super Bowl betting favorite, thanks to an eight-game winning streak through Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season.

October’s total sports betting handle was $582,611,718, compared to $523,776,650 in the previous month, according to the figures released Nov. 19 by the Michigan Gaming Control Board. That was also a hike of more than $30 million in handle compared to October 2023, when statewide sports betting operators took about $551.1 million in action. The handle was the fourth-highest in state history; the record is $613.4 million, set in December 2023.

As always, mobile sports betting accounted for the great majority of the action, with $560,423,326 in handle, up 11.7% from September ($501,752,009).

The revenue was another story, though, as gamblers enjoyed a strong month in October. The total adjusted sports betting Gross Gaming Revenue declined 68.1% in a month-over-month comparison, from $28,317,982 in September to $9,026,162 last month. Online operators combined for $9,852,958 in GGR but retail outlets actually lost money – $826,796, to be exact. The total sports betting state tax was $576,023 in October, a 60.5% decline from September’s $1,459,401.

Meanwhile, online casinos (slots, table games and so on) set a statewide record for revenue in October. Total adjusted gross receipts for Michigan iGaming totaled $198,608,276 last month, breaking the state record of $194,469,136, set in March. Taxes from online gaming surpassed $40 million in a month for the first time, at $41,507,074, again breaking the standard set in March ($39,439,011). The three retail casinos in Detroit combined for $103,673,981 in revenue, up 2.4% from September ($101,229,067).

Betting Handle Through The Months