MGCB Officially Approves Michigan Sports Betting At Detroit Casinos

• The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has officially approved the launch of commercial sportsbooks in Detroit 11 weeks after the pastime was legalized by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
• Three casinos in the Detroit area will open their sportsbooks to patrons for sports betting beginning Wednesday at 1 p.m.
• The MGCB stated that internet and mobile sportsbooks will not be launched until 2021 but sports bettors will have local sports betting lounges open for gambling on sports matchups.

DETROIT – The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has authorized the official launch of sports betting at three Detroit casinos beginning Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.

The MGCB met on Tuesday at Cadillac Place for a public meeting where final presentations were discussed before the commercial casinos were given the green light to begin their sports betting operations.

The three Detroit sportsbooks that will open will be located at the MotorCity Casino Hotel, MGM Grand Detroit, and Greektown Casino-Hotel.

The MGCB worked tirelessly to get rules and regulations in place for an expedited launch of sports betting in Michigan that would occur in time for March Madness. College basketball is a very big sport in the state, especially when it comes to wagering on the games.

“With just 11 weeks to prepare, MGCB staff worked hard to make the launch of onsite sports betting at the Detroit casinos possible by March Madness,” said Richard S. Kalm, MGCB executive director.

“The casinos and their suppliers helped us by their timely efforts to share information we needed to authorize the gaming. This new gaming opportunity has been highly anticipated, and we hope citizens will enjoy it and see benefits from additional revenue to both the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit.”

Temporary licenses were handed out to suppliers for the casinos in preparation for the launch. The three locations were able to set up their sports betting lounges with the proper kiosks and other things needed to run an official sportsbook through their permitted suppliers.

While Tribal casinos are allowed to open their own sportsbooks, they are not regulated by the MGCB and therefore will not be opening on Wednesday. Tribal locations are responsible for their own individual announcements as to when they will provide sports betting options to their customers.

Gambling on sporting events was officially legalized in Michigan in December 2019. In less than three months, the MGCB has managed to get sports betting up and running. Both retail and online/mobile sportsbooks were made legal.

However, sports bettors in Michigan will need to wait until at least 2021 for internet platforms to become officially available. Until then, they have land-based casinos to gamble on sports and what better time for the launch of these sportsbooks than March Madness?

Estimated bets taken annually at retail and Tribal sportsbooks in the Wolverine State are expected to reach a handle of about $190 million.

A conservative estimate on yearly revenue from both online and land-based sports betting by the Michigan Department of Treasury is set at $19 million. The MotorCity Casino Hotel, MGM Grand Detroit, and Greektown Casino-Hotel will all be taking their first legal sports bets for the state of Michigan beginning at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

News tags: Cadillac Place | Detroit | Greektown Casino-Hotel | Gretchen Whitmer | March Madness | MGCB | MGM Grand Detroit | Michigan | Michigan Department of Treasury | Michigan Gaming Control Board | MotorCity Casino Hotel | Richard S. Kalm