After so many months of deliberation and hard work, Michigan regulators have decided to legalize sports betting within its borders. To date, the Michigan Gaming Control Board has approved the first ten casinos and their online platform partners to launch by September. Nonetheless, additional approvals can be expected in the upcoming days.
Internet gambling and sports betting were first legalized by the legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in December 2019. Then, the whole of 2020 was spent devising rules and ways to examine and license various platforms.
In Michigan, users should be of the age of 21 or above to participate in online gambling and sports betting. Furthermore, you don’t have to be a Michigan resident to take part in sports betting. Nevertheless, you should be within the state’s borders when wagering on sports through a smartphone app or computer.
If you are interested in getting involved in Michigan’s sports betting scene, here are three platforms worth a try.
- DraftKings Sportsbook
A popular daily fantasy sports platform, DraftKings has evolved to be a premier sportsbook operator in the United States. They have enjoyed massive growth over the past two years, and this is clearly depicted by their enormous user-base. Their app is sleek and rich in technology. They also feature fair odds and a good user experience.
DraftKings sportsbooks operate in a lot of states across the country. So, it is pretty certain that it will be a massive player in the Michigan market when online betting launches in the state.
When it comes to DraftKings’ partners, they have joined forces with Bay Mills Resort & Casino to offer online sports betting services in Michigan. What’s more, they are already accepting account registrations and are rewarding users who sign up with $100 ahead of the launch date.
- BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM Sportsbook will enter the Michigan market under its parent casino brand. BetMGM has been quite a player in the US market ever since sports betting was legalized in 2018. They are a part of ROAR Digital, a gaming branch of the overall parent umbrella.
Currently, BetMGM operates in six states across the country—Colorado, Nevada, Tennessee, Indiana, New Jersey, and West Virginia. In early 2021, Michigan became the seventh state they operate in.
Whether it is the platform, the bonuses, and promotions they offer, or the features, BetMGM happens to be one of the best sportsbooks for users in Michigan. After all, they happen to be the only major online sportsbook in the US that pays out in full-on ties in golf betting. Though this might look like a not-so-significant feature, it sometimes matters a lot to bettors who wager on PGA Tour events.
- FanDuel Sportsbook Michigan
In March 2020, FanDuel Sportsbook announced its partnership with Detroit’s commercial Motorcity Casino. From what we know, FanDuel will run all the major services impacting betting for the sportsbook.
FanDuel tends to be a major rival for DraftKings. Launched years ago as a daily fantasy sports platform like DraftKings, FanDuel has expanded its operations across the country, slowly entering the sports betting and casino arena immediately after the PASPA ban was lifted in 2018 by the US Supreme Court.
As they started with DFS, they already had a significant user-base when they delved into the new arena, helping them grow fast to become one of the biggest books in the nation.
About the Man Who Sponsored Most of Michigan’s Latest Gaming Bills
In 2014, Brandt Iden was voted as a Republican into the Michigan state legislature. His campaign primarily focused on job creation and set up a competitive sector for Michigan. He started small in 2015 and remained relatively inactive till 2016. However, in 2017, Iden started being more active, working towards leaving a mark on the governing body.
Iden sponsored a house resolution on March 17, 2017, to observe that month as Problem Gambling Awareness Month in Michigan. The idea was quickly adopted by Michigan’s House of Representatives, marking Iden’s flight as an early advocate of safe gaming in the state.
Now, if we look back, it can be thought of as an early attempt to suppress any anti-gambling forces within Michigan. The final bill that made sports betting legal in Michigan still had three votes against from Republicans who were worried about problem gamblers and children gaining increased access to online gambling.
Nevertheless, Michigan did succeed in making sports betting legal, and that is all that matters at the end of the day.
