BetAmerica Enters Michigan Sports Betting Market Through Partnership with Hannahville Tribe

Posted on: July 30, 2020, 07:15h. 

Last updated on: July 30, 2020, 09:44h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

Add another sportsbook to the roster in Michigan. On Wednesday, Churchill Downs Inc. announced it secured an agreement with the Hannahville Indian Community to operate its BetAmerica sportsbook at the tribe’s casino and its online platforms across the state.

BetAmerica Michigan
BetAmerica, owned by Churchill Downs Inc., will operate a retail sportsbook at the Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Mich., and provide online sports betting and casino gaming statewide through an agreement reached with the Hannahville Indian Community. (Image: Michigan.org)

The retail sportsbook will be located in the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, roughly two hours north of Green Bay, Wis. A statement from CDI Wednesday did not give a time line for its opening, as the application still requires regulatory approval.

BetAmerica currently operates in Indiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Online betting is available in all but Mississippi, and iGaming is available in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Crowded Field

When BetAmerica launches, it’ll join what is rapidly becoming a competitive market in the nation’s eighth most-populous state.

Since April, at least four sports betting providers have announced their plans to operate sportsbooks and mobile wagering at tribal casinos in the state.

GAN is working with the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. DraftKings signed a deal with the Nay Mills Resort and Casino, while Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers.com brand will partner with the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.

Earlier this month, Kambi announced an agreement with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, and the retail sportsbooks have already opened at the tribe’s three Four Winds casinos in southwest Michigan.

In January, PointsBet reached an agreement to operate at the Northern Waters Casino, run by the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

Detroit’s three state-licensed commercial casinos have partnerships with BetMGM (MGM Grand Detroit), FanDuel (Motor City Casino-Hotel), and Barstool Sports/Penn National (Greektown Casino-Hotel).

Online Coming Earlier?

Michigan legalized sports betting and online gaming late last year, and retail sportsbooks have been opening since March 11. However, that initial launch was short-lived because of the COVID-19 crisis that has kept the state’s commercially licensed venues closed since mid-March.

According to the American Gaming Association’s casino tracker, all but one of the tribal casinos in the state have reopened.

Online sports betting and iGaming at first were not expected to start until next year. However, the Michigan Gaming Control Board has since revised that time frame and suggested that online apps may be able to roll out later this year. That expedited time frame is contingent on when the state’s regulations may go into effect.

While sports betting has quickly gained traction across the country since the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA nearly two-and-a-half years ago, other forms of online gaming, such as iCasinos and poker, have not.

When online gaming is allowed in the state, Michigan will become just the sixth to authorize it, joining Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. West Virginia is the most recent addition to the list, with state lottery officials there giving DraftKings clearance to launch its mobile casino product earlier this month.