Michigan Online Casinos Experience Record November Due to Strike

Posted on: December 23, 2023, 02:12h. 

Last updated on: December 25, 2023, 10:45h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Michigan online casinos presumably benefited from casino workers in Detroit going on strike last month.

This Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) reports that November online casino revenue totaled $175.3 million. It’s the richest monthly haul for the state’s internet gaming platforms since such gambling began in January 2021.

November bested the state’s previous best iGaming month of $171.8 million, set in March 2023. Online sportsbooks added $33.9 million last month to take total internet gaming revenue to $209.2 million.

March 2023 remains the best online gaming month in Michigan history, as sportsbooks that month won $44.5 million from bettors for a combined haul of approximately $216.3 million.

November marked a strong month for iGaming in general. In New Jersey, one of the other six states in the U.S. where online slots and table games are regulated, internet casino revenue hit a record $171.5 million. In Pennsylvania, another iGaming jurisdiction, online casinos generated gross revenue of $158 million.

Commercial and Tribal iGaming, Sports Betting

Michigan allows Detroit’s three commercial casinos and its gaming tribes to facilitate remote casino games and online sports betting with their third-party partners.

The Bay Mills Indian Community, which owns and operates the Bay Mills Resort & Casino and Kings Club Casino, is partnered with DraftKings for its iGaming and sports betting business. DraftKings led the tribal segment online last month, with its casino platform winning about $34.7 million. The DraftKings Sportsbook won $10.6 million on more than $151.8 million in bets.

Penn Entertainment’s newly branded ESPN Bet online sportsbook reported gross betting income of $6 million on $49.9 million in wagers through its operational agreement with Greektown. Penn provided an abundance of incentives to commemorate its ESPN Bet launch, and after writing off those promo bets, the sportsbook reported an adjusted loss of $10 million.

Through 11 months, Michigan oddsmakers have accepted more than $4 billion in sports bets via the internet. They’ve kept $359.2 million of the wagers. Online casinos have collectively won more than $1.7 billion from players gambling on their computers and mobile devices.

Detroit Casinos Falter

While November was a good month online, that wasn’t the case for the three Detroit commercial casinos because of the workers’ strike. MGM Grand, MotorCity, and Greentown combined to generate gross gaming revenue (GGR) of just $76 million from their physical slots and table games.

The November retail performance represented a nearly 24% drop from November 2022 — a revenue decline of more than $23.9 million. MGM accounted for $30.6 million, down 34%, MotorCity won $24.7 million, down 18%, and Greektown won $20.7 million, down 11%.

The casinos and Unite Here Local 24 labor union reached new collective bargaining terms on Nov. 17 that restored each property’s full operations. Union leaders had encouraged players not to patronize commercial iGaming sites amid the strike. But according to the revenue reports, that directive didn’t resonate with consumers.