Sports Betting On The Detroit Tigers

Legal online betting has provided Michiganders another method through which they can support the Detroit Tigers. Major League Baseball fans and bettors have access to a plethora of Tigers-related wagers to allow them to add some more skin to the summer schedule.

The Tigers have a rich history in the city of Detroit, and hold a place in the hearts of Michigan sports fans. And they’re not restricted to the Tigers. Bettors will find a deep menu of bets for all MLB games in addition to futures, team and player props, and special promotions throughout the season across Michigan’s mobile sportsbook apps.

Detroit Tigers World Series Championship 2023 Odds

DraftKings SportsbookFanDuel SportsbookBetMGM Sportsbook
Detroit Tigers+100000+250000+100000

Can Michiganders Bet On The Detroit Tigers At Legal Sportsbooks?

Yes. In fact, they already have. Dave Rozema, one of the Tigers’ old pitchers, bet on the Tigers winning Over 56.5 games, based on the originally-planned 162-game schedule. (For new bettors, the half-game prevents a tie and forces an over or under bet.)

All professional and amateur baseball are fair game for sports betting. However, no youth or high school baseball can be wagered on. Tigers fans won’t have to worry about major restrictions, but they can’t get any ideas about their kids’ little league game, either.

See our comprehensive Guide To Online Sports Betting In Michigan

Where Can Michiganders Bet On The Tigers?

Michigan’s online sports betting market includes more than a dozen different sports betting brands.

DraftKings Sportsbook

Visit: DraftKing Sportsbook and claim a 20% match up to $1,000 + a $50 free bet with $5 deposit

One of the two biggest sports betting brands in the US comes to Michigan under a partnership with Bay Mills Resort & Casino. The agreement includes both an in-person and online version of DraftKings Sportsbook in Michigan.

The mobile edition of DraftKings Sportsbook Michigan allows bettors to wager on the Tigers from anywhere within Michigan borders. If other states provide any indication, DraftKings Sportsbook operates as one of the most popular online sportsbooks in the state.

FanDuel Sportsbook

Visit: FanDuel Sportsbook and claim a No Sweat First Bet Up To $1,000

MotorCity Casino Hotel already hosts a retail FanDuel Sportsbook at its Detroit casino. The partnership between the casino and FanDuel yields an online version of FanDuel Sportsbook.

FanDuel Sportsbook Michigan offers one of the most comprehensive betting menus for MLB action in the Wolverine State.

PointsBet

Visit: PointsBet Sportsbook and claim 2 risk-free bets up to $2,000 (up to $500 on a fixed odds wager + up to $1,500 on a “pointsbetting” wager)

The Detroit Tigers signed on with PointsBet to form a historic deal in July 2020. Per the agreement, PointsBet now operates as the official gaming partner of the Tigers.

The deal marks the first such arrangement between an MLB franchise and sports betting brand. PointsBet launched in Michigan under the license of Northern Waters Casino Resort. Michigan bettors now enjoy access to a multitude of MLB betting options, including the trademark “PointsBetting” wagering style.

Betting On The Tigers At Detroit’s Casinos

Michigan’s three commercial casinos in Detroit each have sportsbooks that went live almost as soon as in-person sports betting did. Greektown Casino-Hotel was the first casino in Detroit to launch its sportsbook and later converted the on-property into Barstool Sportsbook. After opening, Barstool Sportsbook at Greektown Casino became the first retail sportsbook in the US for the Barstool Sportsbook brand.

MGM Grand Detroit opened its retail sportsbook, called BetMGM Sports Lounge, in March 2020.

MotorCity partnered with FanDuel for its sportsbook, and the casino offers a FanDuel-branded retail sportsbook. All three Detroit sportsbooks accept Detroit Tigers betting.  

Betting On The Tigers At Michigan’s Tribal Casinos

A few of the state’s 23 tribal casinos also have live sports betting up and running, while others are securing partnerships at their own pace. 

For example, Four Winds launched retail sportsbooks in its three Michigan casino locations in July 2020. Other tribal properties offering retail sports betting include FireKeepers Casino, which opened the doors to its on-property venue, Dacey’s Sportsbook, in June.

Here are the current partnerships between Michigan’s tribal casinos and sportsbook companies:

Michigan SportsbookTribal Casino Partner
DraftKings SportsbookBay Mills Resort & Casino, Brimley
CaesarsGrand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (Leelanau Sands & Turtle Creek Casinos)
BetRiversLittle River Casino & Resort, Manistee
PointsBetNorthern Waters Casino Resort, Watersmeet
WynnBet SportsbookKewadin Casinos (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians)
Golden NuggetOjibwa Casinos (Baraga & Marquette)
FOX BetOdawa Casinos (Mackinaw & Petoskey)
Four Winds Sportsbook (Pala Interactive)Four Winds Dowagiac, Hartford, New Buffalo
FireKeepers Sportsbook (Scientific Games)FireKeepers Casino & Hotel, Battle Creek
Parx SportsbookGun Lake Casino, Wayland

If Michigan bettors hope to wager at a tribal casino, they’ll have to check whether the one they picked offers sports betting. Bettors have plenty of options.

In the future, when online sportsbooks launch, expect to bet on the Tigers on various sports betting apps.

How MLB Betting Odds Are Calculated

Like many other team sports, most baseball wagers fall into three main categories. The majority of baseball wagers are placed as runline (points spread) bets, totals (over/under), or moneyline bets.

Michigan’s legal online sportsbooks use the American odds notation to present lines and odds. Suppose the table below represents the odds for a game from the 2021 World Series.

Point SpreadTotalMoneyline
Houston Astros+1.5 (-150)Over 7.5 (+100)+140
Atlanta Braves-1.5 (+130)Under 7.5 (-121)-165

If a bettor in this hypothetical scenario wanted to place a $100 point spread bet on the Houston Astros, he or she would need them to win the game outright or lose by no more than one run. If the Atlanta Braves win the game by two runs or more, the runline bet on the Astros loses.

Suppose the Braves win 8-3. The runline wager on the Astros was a losing bet. Your $100 wager would vanish into the hands of the house in this case.

If the score would have ended with an 8-7 Astros victory, however, the runline bet on Astros would win. The total runs requires the bettor to decide if both teams will combine to score Over or Under a set line. In this instance the two teams combined to score Over 7.5 runs.

The point spread bet pays at -150 American odds on the Astros +1.5 line. To calculate “-” American odds, divide 100 by the odds number (without the minus sign) and multiply that quotient by the amount wagered.

A $100 winning bet at -150 odds is calculated as (100/150)*$100, which solves to $66.66. A $100 bet on the Astros at -150 would return $166.66 to the bettor if it won ($66.66 profit plus the original $100 bet).

To calculate “+” American odds, divide the odds number by 100, then multiply by the bet amount. A $100 winning wager on the Braves’ +130 line, for example, calculates as (130/100)*$100, which solves to $130. A $100 bet on +130 odds returns $230 to the bettor ($130 profit plus the original $100 bet).

What Kind Of Bets Can Be Placed On The Tigers?

Baseball offers no shortage of bets. Straight moneyline bets are common and straightforward. Anyone can understand when a team wins or loses. However, bettors can also wager on which team takes the lead after three or five innings. These are great twists on traditional moneyline bets for bettors who intimately know their team.

There are also game prop bets, like who will score first, combined home runs, combined strikeouts, etc. But the game props with the longest odds are hidden in a bet on the first team to score two runs. Bettors can play it safe and pick a team to score two runs first. However, bettors seeking a risky bet can wager on neither team scoring two runs during the game. No Tigers fan would bet against his or her team like that, but heretical Michiganders could risk long odds for big rewards if they wanted to.

Other ways to bet on the Tigers include totals bets, which task the bettor with choosing whether the total combined score of a game will go Over or Under a given line.

Parlays represent another popular way to bet, combining multiple bets on one ticket and increasing the payout odds dramatically. However, with greater potential word comes greater risk. Each leg of a parlay ticket must win in order for the bet to pay out. If a single leg loses — even if it’s by half a point, the entire ticket loses.

What Is A Futures Bet?

A futures wager allows you to bet on an event that will happen sometime later in the season. Examples of futures bets include wagering on a team’s odds to win its division, the pennant, or the World Series.

Here’s another look at the futures betting market on the Tigers winning the 2022 World Series:

DraftKings SportsbookFanDuel SportsbookBetMGM Sportsbook
Detroit Tigers+100000+250000+100000

With the 2021 season in the rear-view mirror, sportsbooks look ahead to the 2021 MLB season. The Tigers are a longshot at three of Michigan’s top-rated online sportsbooks, with PointsBet providing the most favorable potential payout at +12500.

How To Place Prop Bets On The Tigers

Bettors aren’t confined to only betting the side. Online sportsbooks typically offer a deep array of individual prop bets. This isn’t just for the postseason. DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbooks, for example, offer a number of individual props for regular season games.

Bettors can wager on pitchers recording strikeouts, total outs, and batters to hit home runs or collect total bases. This is an area where those two market leaders stand out. Other betting platforms do offer individual player props, but FanDuel and DraftKings consistently offer the most variety.

See our full guide to What Sports Can I Bet On In Michigan.

How To Bet On The Tigers In Michigan

After choosing one of Michigan’s legal online sportsbooks, you’re just a few steps away from making bets on the Tigers. Here’s a look at how to go through the registration process and find betting markets for the Tigers at PointsBet:

  1. Download the PointsBet app – Apple iOS device owners can download the PointsBet app from the App Store. Android users must go directly to the PointsBet MI website to find the app because it isn’t yet listed on Google Play. PointsBet can also be enjoyed as a browser-based client.
  2. Register an account – Registration requirements include proof of age and identity, valid email, and choosing a password. The registration screen also allows you to use a promo code and opt-in for bonus offers.
  3. Make your first deposit – Once registered, you’re able to deposit using methods like ACH/eCheck, debit/credit cards, the PointsBet Mastercard, PayPal, and others.
  4. Find the MLB betting menu – On the mobile app, click on the menu bar icon at the bottom left, which brings up a menu of all available sports and featured leagues.
  5. Bet on the Tigers – You’ll find plenty of ways to bet on the Tigers by clicking on “A-Z Sports” and then navigating to the Baseball bets section.

How To Bet On The World Series In Michigan

Tigers fans eagerly await the next World Series appearance for Detroit’s storied MLB franchise. The Tigers last went to the Fall Classic in 2012.

The next time the Tigers make a run to the World Series, Michigan bettors will be able to wager on Detroit in several different ways. Whatever teams make it to the 2022 World Series, Michigan’s online sportsbooks will offer open betting on both teams with no restrictions.

World Series bets aren’t just limited to the traditional lineup of point spread, moneyline, and totals wagers. Futures betting markets include the World Series MVP, what player will hit the most home runs, and how many games the series will go before a winner is determined

Many kinds of unique single and parlay prop bets arise during the World Series as well. For instance, sportsbooks may offer markets on whether a player will go Over 0.5 hits and/or RBI. These bets could be combined into a parlay as well.

Do The Tigers Have Partnerships With Any Legal Michigan Sportsbooks?

In July 2020, the Tigers announced a partnership with PointsBet, the first such partnership for any MLB team. As part of the arrangement, PointsBet is providing exclusive experiences and betting options to Tigers fans in and around Comerica Park.

Before July 2020, the Tigers didn’t have their own sportsbook partnership. Instead, the MLB has partnerships with:

However, the family that owns the Tigers faced a unique partnership challenge. Marian Ilitch owns MotorCity Hotel and Casino in Detroit. Her son, Christopher Ilitch, owns the Detroit Tigers. That conflict-of-interest called into question whether MotorCity could offer lines on the Tigers.

How did the family resolve this problem with the MLB? MLB press releases from February 2020 stipulate that keeping the sportsbook and casino independent from each other could resolve the conflict-of-interest. A month later, MotorCity partnered with FanDuel, which operates a retail sportsbook in the casino independent of MotorCity’s management. MotorCity found a way to offer betting lines on the Tigers and ease the MLB’s concerns. How’s that for a beneficial partnership?

FAQs – How To Bet On The Detroit Tigers In Michigan

Can I legally bet on the Detroit Tigers in Michigan?

Yes. Governor Whitmer signed legislation in 2019 that legalized both retail sports betting and online sports betting. Retail sportsbooks launched in early 2020, and online sportsbooks launched in late January 2021. Online sports betting in Michigan has now been live for more than a year.

Where is the best place to bet on the Tigers in Michigan?

Tigers fans can now bet on their favorite MLB team at all three commercial casinos in Detroit as well as at several tribal casinos around the state. They can also bet on more than a dozen online sportsbook apps.

What Michigan Sportsbook has the best odds on the Detroit Tigers?

It’s counterintuitive, but bettors should not think of one sportsbook offering the “best” odds. While odds are often similar across platforms, the numbers are fluid, and some oddsmakers see matchups differently from others. Bettors should get in the habit of shopping around various sportsbooks to find the odds that best suit their betting position.

Is there anywhere in Michigan I'm NOT allowed to bet?

Yes. There are tribal lands in Michigan where bettors will be unable to place wagers through mobile sportsbook apps.

Can I legally bet with DraftKings Sportsbook in Michigan?

Yes. DraftKings Sportsbook operates in Michigan thanks to a partnership with Bay Mills Resort & Casino.

The agreement between DraftKings and the tribal casino yielded an on-property sportsbook as well as a mobile version of DraftKings Sportsbook in Michigan.

What is the closest sportsbook to Comerica Park?

All three Detroit commercial casinos are within a mile of Comerica Park. This includes the MGM Grand Detroit (BetMGM Sports Lounge), Greektown Casino Hotel (Barstool Sportsbook), and MotorCity Casino Hotel (FanDuel Sportsbook).

About the Author

Christopher Gerlacher

Christopher Gerlacher combined his love for writing with his education in entrepreneurship to launch his writing career. Currently, he writes for Michigan Sharp and a family of other online casino and sports betting sites. Despite growing up in Texas, his favorite teams are the Broncos and the Rockies. Although most of his adopted teams have been struggling, the Avs have been a bright spot in Colorado’s sports scene.