October Sees Record $533 Million In Michigan Online Handle As FanDuel Leads The Way
Michigan sports betting numbers are in for October, and the $533 million in online betting handle represents an all-time record. Top sports betting operators like FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook each saw record highs in sports betting handle throughout the month. This comes alongside a big drop in retail sports betting that could be explained by a strike at three Detroit retail casinos.
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October’s Online Michigan Sports Betting Handle Totals Record $533 Million
It was a big October for Michigan sports betting, with a total handle of $533 million from online sportsbooks. This is a 15.2% increase from September of 2023, which had betting totals of $457.6 million.
This also narrowly beats the previous record for Michigan sports betting handle, which hit $532.6 million in January of 2022.
FanDuel Sportsbook Michigan Sees Biggest Handle As Numerous Records Broken
The top mobile sports betting app for Michigan bettors in October was FanDuel Sportsbook, which brought in a betting handle of $173.4 million. According to Legal Sports Report, Fanduel Sportsbook’s totals totals represent the most ever for a Michigan sports betting app. FanDuel Sportsbook Online also brought in $20.5 million in revenue, unsurprisingly the most throughout the month.
DraftKings Sportsbook Michigan also broke its previous record of $137.3 million in September of 2023. The online betting site saw a 7% jump from month to month, with a total handle of $147.4 million. DraftKings also had revenue totals of $16.3 million. Coming in at third handlewise was BetMGM Sportsbook, which brought in $80.1 million and $6.9 million in revenue. Overall, FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM were responsible for 45% of the month’s total revenue.
Meanwhile, BetRivers Sportsbook Michigan saw a total handle of $45.5 million, which saw a massive jump from October of last year. Considering the 144% increase from October 2022’s $7.5 million total, BetRivers Sportsbook has grown significantly in the Michigan market.
Caesars Sportsbook saw a month-to-month increase of 25% as the mobile sportsbook from Caesars Entertainment took in $42 million in wagers.
Interestingly enough, though, both BetRivers and Caesars lost money in the month of October. BetRivers bettors won around $750,000 more than they wagered throughout the month, while Caesars paid out approximately $306,000.
October of 2023 was also the final month of operation for Barstool Sportsbook Michigan. The online betting app finished its run in the Wolverine State with a $20.5 million handle. Since then, the mobile betting operator has seen a relaunch as ESPN Bet in Michigan and numerous other states.
MI Retail Sports Betting Dips Almost 50% Amidst Employee Strike
While online sports betting performed well throughout the month of October, retail sports betting numbers dropped significantly. The month saw $1.1 million in betting handle, representing a 46.9% decrease.
Part of this drop in betting at brick-and-mortar sportsbooks could be attributed to the Detroit casino strike, which effected three locations with retail sportsbooks: MGM Grand Detroit (BetMGM Sportsbook), MotorCity Casino Hotel (FanDuel Sportsbook), and Hollywood Casino at Greektown (Barstool Sportsbook). After over a month of the strike, employees recently returned to both MotorCity Casino Hotel and Hollywood Casino at Greektown.
Even Michigan online casinos saw lowered numbers in October, with a $160.3 million handle representing a year-to-year decrease of 3.7%.
