According to the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), the sector posted $175.3 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR), the highest since the vertical launched in January 2021. The present tally excludes the $37 million collected through online sports betting, and the results edge out the previous record set by the state in March 2023, when online casinos posted $171.8 million in GGR. These results come amid a strong month for sportsbooks as well, and the launch of ESPN Bet.
New Record for iGaming as Tax Revenue Prospects Brighten
There were notable standouts during November, with MGM Grand’s BetMGM becoming the first operator in the state to scoop up $46.7 million in a single month from the segment. Online casinos have continued to improve consistently since last year as well. Comparing results from November 2022 to last month, there was a 20.5% gain in GGR on the $145.4 million that online casinos posted last year.
Online gaming has been an important driver of tax revenue, with the City of Detroit confident that it would top $81 million from tax windfall this year thanks to the vertical. The MGCB provided a detailed breakdown of individual performance markers as well.
FanDuel, MotorCity’s iGaming operator managed to bring in another $43.9 million, and DraftKings’ online casino operators contributed another $34.7 million to the total.
Part of the boost that online casinos saw has to do with the ongoing although concluded strikes in Detroit which have elevated the status of online platforms and given players more opportunity to explore the vertical, admittedly on short notice, and for a want of alternative.
Protests Upset Land-Based Results as iGaming Surges
Yet, the same casinos that partner with digital skins did face some issues. MotorCity, Greentown and MGM Grand brought in only $76 million from their land-based operations, which was a notable 24% drop from the results posted in November 2022. Revenue declined by more than $23.9 million, with MGM posting $30.6 million or down 34%.
MotorCity managed to pull in 24.7% million, but these results were still 18% down from last year’s. Not least, there was Greektown which earned $20.7 million, with results down 11%. A silver lining is that a union agreement has been reached and workers have returned to the physical casinos. In the meantime, union leaders have encouraged players to avoid online gambling and wait for the normalization of land-based operations. Their appeals have been left mostly unheeded.