Michigan sportsbooks accepted $330.5 million in wagers in August, during the “dead season” in professional sports, marking a rare 2.5% year-over-year decline.
Operators generated considerably less adjusted gross receipts than they did in August 2025, dropping 29.3% to $24.2 million.
Key Takeaways
- Only two of the top six operators accepted more bets than they did last August.
- Fanatics has been on a steady climb in 2026.
- iGaming showed strong growth year-over-year, even as sports betting fell.
Figures from the Michigan Gaming Control Board show sportsbooks processed $330.5 million in wagers, down 7% from in July. That translates to the lowest monthly handle in a calendar year and only 32.7% of the $491.3-million sum in January.
The drop in adjusted gross receipts (AGR) was even more pronounced, as the $24.2 million sum was 21.4% lower than it was during the previous monthly period.
Despite the regression, sportsbooks’ 7.3% hold was the third-highest of the year.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google accountOperators paid a combined $1.6 million in taxes to the state, their second-lowest contribution in one month and lowest since June. They also submitted $494,972 in city wagering taxes and municipal service fees.
FanDuel headlines the market
| Online Operator | Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | $111 million | $11.7 million |
| DraftKings | $91.1 million | $9.4 million |
| BetMGM | $32.9 million | $4.5 million |
| Fanatics | $31.4 million | $3.3 million |
| Caesars | $17.2 million | $743,629 |
| theScore Bet | $9.9 million | $866,217 |
FanDuel led the Michigan sports betting industry with $111 million in wagers, which was up 3.8% year-over-year. Its $11.7 million in gross receipts also paced the market.
DraftKings accepted its customary second-place finish. It posted a $91.1-million handle, down 11.6%, and $9.4 million in revenue.
BetMGM clung onto a podium spot by a sliver. Its $32.9 million in accepted wagers was down 35.1% on its August 2025 total, although its $4.5 million in Michigan revenue was down 6% from the previous month and noticeably less than FanDuel and DraftKings.
Fanatics was one of only two major operators to enjoy a period of growth during August as its handle grew 4% to $31.4 million. That still couldn’t prevent its revenue from falling 23% to $3.3 million.
Caesars' $17.2-million handle marked a 14% YoY decrease, and for theScore Bet, its $9.9 million represented a 35.9% decline.
iGaming continues to grow
Michigan is one of only seven states with legal and operational online casinos. Its industry has enjoyed excellent growth and provided a strong source of economic stimulus since it launched.
While sports betting was down in August, Michigan iGaming was up 0.1% on July 2026 and 17.6% on August 2025. That was based on $290.8 million in AGR from $303 million in gross gaming receipts.
iGaming operators paid $61.2 million in state taxes and $13.4 million to Detroit. The state has now flown past $3 billion in total tax payments since iGaming launched in January 2021.
