Sports Gambling

Michigan Officially Launches Online Casino Apps

By Kyle Scott

Published: Jan 22nd, 2021 · 12:28 PM EST

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Michigan has officially launched its online casinos as of 12 PM on Friday, January 22. It becomes the third state to allow online casino gambling within its borders.

At launch, there are nine different operators offering the ability to play online slots, table games, and more in Michigan.

 

Michigan Online Casino Launch

Michigan begins its bold entry into online gambling by allowing nine different operators to launch their casino apps on the same day.

While both New Jersey and Pennsylvania offer online casinos, Michigan may be the most progressive of the bunch by creating an entire new market all at once.

New Jersey launched online gambling years ago and has a robust market going. Pennsylvania has online casino apps, but rolled them out with a measured approach in 2019.

But Michigan launches nine, along with sports betting, today.

Here are the nine online casinos that are available in Michigan right now: BetMGM Michigan, BetRivers, DraftKings Casino, FanDuel Casino, WynnBet, FOX Bet, William Hill, Golden Nugget, and TwinSpires.

Two of those names might stick out as obvious sports brands… but welcome to the world of online gambling in 2021. Even DraftKings and FanDuel offer casino games in their apps.

Hey Michigan, we're finally here!

Download the app: https://t.co/3WbA85K3Il pic.twitter.com/n4XPNTN32A

— DraftKings Casino (@DKCasino) January 22, 2021

Today also marked the launch of online sports betting in Michigan, which included the brands above, along with PointsBet and Barstool Sportsbook.

What Games Are Available To New Players?

Much like its name would have you believe, online casinos in Michigan offer the full smorgasbord of what you would find in a physical or retail casino.

The list includes:

• online slots
• table games
• video poker
• jackpots
• live dealer

Players can wager real money on all of these options.

Casinos offer up bonuses and rewards just as they do in person. In fact, the signup bonus game for online casinos is a big battlefield for competition.

Our scan of the market shows that BetMGM offers what appears to be the best overall sign-up bonus– they will give new players $25 free to play with without registration and an additional $1,000 deposit bonus once users make their first deposit.

 

Online Casino a Huge Opportunity

While sports betting gets all of the media attention and has now been legalized in nearly 20 States, online casino games are available in only three states, with Michigan becoming the third.

This is perhaps a more aggressive form of online gambling, but it’s also more lucrative. Slot machines make up the vast majority of casino profitability and make the sportsbook take seem pedestrian.

New Jersey was the first state to legalize online gambling about five years ago prior to even the launch of online sports betting.

Pennsylvania followed suit in 2019, and since then has remained the only other state to offer online casino games.

But Michigan becomes the first state to launch sports betting and online casinos on the same day, at the same time, with many of the same operators. This represents a massive opportunity for the state to collect tax revenue.

Favorable market conditions, which have allowed for numerous operators to launch their brands on Day 1 combined with a tax rate of only 8% means casino brands are eager to launch in the state and capitalize around the publicity and interest of today.