Michigan’s betting handle continued to slide in May for both the state’s online and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board announced this week that internet sports betting operators in the state reported $237.6 million in total handle and nearly $19.5 million in gross revenue for May.
It was the second month in a row that Michigan saw the amount of sports wagering fall. May's handle was down from April, when the state’s digital sportsbooks took $249.9 million in wagers and booked nearly $20.4 million in sports-betting receipts.
Retail sports betting at Detroit casinos dipped as well last month, with the total handle falling to about $20.2 million in May from $24.3 million in April.
Michigan was the 16th state in the United States with legalized sports betting after wagers started being placed back in March 2020. The state allows for both online and in-person bets.
The top online sportsbook in the state in May was that of Detroit's MotorCity Casino Hotel, which is run by FanDuel. The duo reported a total internet handle of about $71.2 million last month, down from $74.2 million in April.
"Adjusted gross receipts for internet casino gaming were up two-tenths of a percent compared with April, which means state, city and tribal governments received more revenue," said Henry Williams, the Michigan Gaming Control Board’s executive director, in a press release. "The event-driven sports betting handle dropped 4.9 percent compared with April. While Michigan does allow wagering on horse racing's largest events through its regulated track and advance deposit wagering, it does not permit wagering on horse racing through the online sportsbooks."
