Michigan online casinos experienced their best month in August, recording record revenues of $97.2 million, according to data released by the Michigan Gaming Control Board last week.
The banner month pushes the overall revenue from online casinos and poker play in Michigan to $672.6 million since January when it went live. Online casino gaming revenues increased from July to August by 5.3 percent. Thus far, $166.6 million has been paid by operators to the State of Michigan from online casino revenue.
Online casino gaming raised $17.9 million in state taxes in August of 2021, with $4.9 million in taxes for the City of Detroit. According to the MGCB, there was almost $2 million in payments to tribal governments.
Live Dealer Games Fuel Record Month
The month of August was the first full month of live dealer casino games in the State of Michigan. That helped push revenue to the record number. The previous high month was March, when online casinos reported $95.1 million in revenue.
Live dealer blackjack, roulette, and baccarat launched in Michigan in late July. The popular games are currently available at ten Michigan online casinos.
Sports Betting Expected To Soar With Football Season Underway
Online casinos have outperformed online sports betting in Michigan, with that gap widening in August. According to the MGCB, sports betting operators handled $192.3 million in online wagers for the month of August, with a resulting gross of $15.9 million.
But two things happen in Michigan in September: the leaves turn orange and football season kicks off. It’s expected that figures from September will show a spike in handle and gross for sports betting in the state. Both the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans are off to strong starts, and betting has been spirited on the Detroit Lions.
August was a slow month for sports betting in part because there was little opportunity: only the Detroit Tigers were in action, and the team has been mediocre this year and is only slowly generating interest from fans.
When adjusted for deductions from free-play incentives, Michigan sports betting grossed $7.5 million in August, and as a result operators paid $540,706 in combined state taxes.
About the Author
