Michigan Set to Launch Online Sports Betting This Week
Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Detroit Pistons mascot Hooper.
Michigan’s long-awaited first wave of online sportsbooks are set to launch at noon local time Jan. 22, gaming officials announced Tuesday, ending more than a year of preparation.
Approved sportsbooks will still have to wait a few more days before they can accept wagers, but Michigan bettors will finally be able to register, deposit and wager from a mobile device anywhere within state lines later this week.
Critically, this also allows Michigan online sports betting to begin before the NFL's conference championship games as well as the Super Bowl, typically the single most lucrative event of the year for U.S. sportsbooks.
Michigan Sportsbooks Set to Launch
There have been 15 sportsbooks conditionally approved, and nine are poised to take bets on Jan. 22
The rest of the initial group expects to go live in the next few weeks, and even more are set to launch in the coming months. The initial list of nine Michigan online sportsbooks to go live Friday include:
- Barstool Sports
- BetMGM
- BetRivers
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- Golden Nugget
- TwinSpires
- William Hill
- Wynn
Another half dozen sportsbooks expect to go live in the coming days or weeks:
Launch Details for Michigan Online Sportsbooks
Michigan's 2019 sports betting law allowed each of the state's three commercial casinos as well as its two-dozen Native American casinos to open online sportsbooks, along with casinos and poker sites. Retail betting began in March 2020 but is expected to be just a small fraction of the online market.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down casinos (some multiple times) in 2020, online wagering was expected to make up 90 percent or more of total betting handle.
Most of the aforementioned sportsbook operators plan to launch their respective iGaming and poker offerings either in conjunction with their sportsbook launch or shortly thereafter.
Michigan will be just the fourth state to launch online casino gaming and real money poker, following New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Eligible residents and visitors age 21 and over can register and wager remotely for online sportsbooks (as well as poker and iGaming sites) as long as they are physically within Michigan's state lines. Bettors cannot place bets with a Michigan online sportsbook if they are outside the state.
Michigan's online sportsbooks will offer dozens of professional sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. As early as this month, bettors will be able to wager on hometown teams such as the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings.
Betting on in-state and out-of-state college teams is also allowed, meaning bettors can also wager on popular men's basketball programs such as the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines.
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