Michigan broke its online gambling receipts record in February 2022, hitting $122.78 million from internet gaming activity to trump its previous maximum set back in December.
The state, which legalized online gambling toward the end of 2019, has 14 active operators authorized to host online casino and sports betting activities.
While February’s overall gaming total of $145.28m was 6.8% down on January, there was a record high set for online gambling specifically.
In its monthly analysis, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) said: “February internet gaming gross receipts were a Michigan record $122.78m, exceeding the previous record of $121.8m set in December 2021.”
Meanwhile, online sportsbooks also enjoyed a strong month in February too, although the total handle dropped from $496.8m in January to $398.3m a month later. The reason for this drop was the end of the NFL season after the Super Bowl at the start of the month, and the fact basketball’s March Madness hadn’t yet started.
Michigan’s Online Casino Industry Booming
February’s record month for gaming shows Michigan online casino industry is booming – and it’s only likely to grow further. Year-on-year, Michigan posted a 47% increase on monthly internet gaming receipts in February.
Remarkably, $21.6m of the state’s tax income from online gaming this February came from online gambling, while the rest – largely sports wagering activity and fees – amounted to just $360,354.
From a sports perspective, Michigan sportsbooks are booming too. They took a combined $3.9 billion worth of bets in 2021, the majority of which was handled by mobile betting platforms.
What’s more, lawmakers in the Great Lakes State are now plotting to introduce multistate poker to its 10 million potential players in another advancement of online gaming in the territory.
Michigan Multistate Poker
According to reports, Michigan could enter an interstate gaming compact for online poker that would mean players in MI could compete in tournaments with players from other states.
The MGCB is open to hearing from platform providers who could facilitate Michigan entering into multistate poker, and join the likes of New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware in its Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA).
“The Lawful Internet Gaming Act … provides that the Michigan Gaming Control Board … may enter into multijurisdictional agreements with other jurisdictions to facilitate, administer, and regulate multistate internet poker,” read the MGCB document.
Right now BetMGM and PokerStars are the two online poker providers to players in Michigan. Both could decide to launch multistate poker options for the state, while new providers are welcome to enter the market if they so wish.
It is estimated the current multistate poker community would double in size if the Wolverine State was brought into the fold. And were the seven states that currently legalize online poker to combine, the potential player pool would be roughly 41 million.
