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, February vs. January
| Total handle | Mobile handle | Revenue (GGR) |
February | $388.079M | $379.840M | $28.060M |
January | $574.628M | $555.243M | $57.273M |
Change | Down 32.5% | Down 31.6% | Down 51.0% |
It’s no surprise that sports betting in Michigan was down in February compared to January; that’s an established pattern at sportsbooks across the country. What might come as a surprise to operators is that handle also fell in a year-over-year comparison with February 2024.
February’s total sports betting handle was $388,079,420, down 32.5% from January’s $574,628,174 in a month-over-month comparison. The Super Bowl is the biggest single-day sporting event in America and that interest is reflected by wagering action; however, the rest of the month does not offer as many big events as the month before (or the month after, for that matter). Plus February is a few days shorter.
The handle last month was also more than $27 million lower than it was 12 months earlier; Michiganders wagered $415.8 million in February 2024.
Statewide revenue derived from sports betting also declined in February, according to figures that the Michigan Gaming Control Board reported on March 18.
The state revenue record of $57,273,261 ($54,750,176 from online betting) is safe for another month; February’s figure was $28,060,100, a 51% decline.
The total sports betting state tax for February was $1,557,309 ($1,526,481 online), down 51.4% from January’s $3,203,886.
Betting Handle Through The Months
Handle and Revenue FAQs
In Michigan in 2024, sports betting handle was about $5.5 billion, a 14.6% increase over the 2023 total of $4.8 billion. Adjusted gross sports betting receipts were just above $204 million last year, a 14% dip from the $237.4 million collected at mobile and retail sportsbooks combined in the previous year. Adjusted gross receipts include deductions for the monetary value of free play incentives provided to and waged by bettors. Internet taxes, fees and payments from sports gambling from both Tribal and casino operators were about $14.695 million in 2024.
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The veteran team of Michigan sports betting and casino experts behind BetMichigan.com help you find the best operators in the state.
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