The sports betting boom is sweeping across America, and Michigan has become one of the latest states to regulate and license sports betting.
As a vocation, sports betting became legal in Michigan at the end of 2019 and has continued to evolve in stature ever since.
The capital of the ‘Wolverine State’ is Detroit, and all licensed sports betting operations are based in the ‘Motor City’ – an area that has been significantly gentrified over the past 30 years.
Whilst the initial introduction of sports betting in Michigan was confined to in-store/retail betting only, the state’s online sports offering was launched in January 2021, and the surge in popularity amongst sports punters is beginning to manifest.
With an appetite for sports betting across the state, which is littered with basketball, ice hockey, and college football teams, sports betting apps in Michigan appear to be on a very upward trend.
Legality of Sports Betting Apps in Michigan
As a swing state in American politics, Michigan has always been an accurate barometer for the regular American voter. The decision to legalize sports betting in the state in 2019 was representative of how sportsbook gambling is viewed across America.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer was the official who signed off on the legalization of sports betting in Michigan under the ruling HB 4307, which gave businesses the opportunity to offer sports gambling to customers.
The initial laws set out at the end of 2019 gave four existing casinos (3 in Detroit and one in Grand Rapids) the power to offer sports betting markets as part of their operations. By early 2020, there were signs that this trend was starting to take off in the state, with over 15 new casinos across the Wolverine State entering the planning stages. COVID-19 put a temporary halt to daily life in Michigan, and whilst the in-store casino market has been affected by that, the infrastructure looks to be in place to see the sports betting industry grow in the future.
As was set out by Governor Whitmer’s initial ruling, online betting came into public consciousness at the start of 2021 in Michigan. Whilst it is still in its primitive stages, it looks to be a popular vocation for the sports fans and punters of Michigan.
Michigan Online Sports Betting
As mentioned, the advent of online sports betting in Michigan has been relatively recent, with punters only able to access sports betting apps online since January 2021.
There are a plethora of regulations that punters and licensees must abide by in the provision of online sports betting in Michigan:
- Geolocation Required – As part of the regulatory process, Michigan online sports betting companies are required to verify and monitor the location of their customers when sports punting. You do not need to be a Michigan resident to use a betting app or online betting site in the state. Location requirements apply to your physical presence within state lines rather than your regular place of residence.
- Online Sports Betting Licenses – All sportsbooks in the state of Michigan must have online sports betting licenses to offer the highest level of customer service to punters. Players should be vigilant when choosing which online sportsbook to bet with, and trustworthy and licensed operations should clearly present their relevant license on their betting homepage.
- Remote Registration – Perhaps as a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic across Michigan, players are no longer required to go in person to a sports betting shop to prove their identity. Online registration technology is used worldwide to verify the identity and validity of sports punters, and remote registration is now allowed for online sports bettors in Michigan.
Who Can Bet on Sports in Michigan?
With each American state having a different set of rules and regulations attached to sports betting, it can become tricky for punters to establish who can and can’t bet on sports in a given state.
Michigan’s sports betting rules are relatively new, but they consequently accommodate the needs and wants of regular punters across the state.
Punters must be at least 21 years of age to legally place a sports bet in Michigan, and all of the significant in-store and online sports betting companies require verification and identification before a new customer can start betting with their company.
The geolocation technology used by Michigan sports betting regulators is designed to pinpoint punters’ exact locations when betting. To adhere to the rules set out by the Wolverine State, the gambler must be physically located within Michigan state lines to operate under the local regulations.
However, punters do not need to be residents of Michigan in order to bet there; the regulations work on the gambler’s physical location at the time a bet is placed.
Michigan’s unique location close to the Canadian border entices players from Ontario and Windsor to make the short hop across the border to access both in-store betting casinos/sportsbooks and the newly formed online sports betting operation.
Michigan Online Betting Sites & Apps
As the online betting industry begins to establish itself in Michigan, a plethora of sports betting apps are available for punters to access in the state.
All of the below sports betting apps adhere to local Michigan state regulations and look to offer their players a range of sports betting markets and betting opportunities:
- FOX Bet
- William Hill
- Draft Kings
- PointsBet
Finding the ideal bookmaker can be difficult for some punters. Still, with a range of trustworthy online sportsbooks already available for punters in Michigan, the offering is sure to go from strength to strength over the next few years.
What Sports Can You Bet on in Michigan?
Michigan is a sporting hotbed in America, and punters can get their teeth into a wealth of sporting institutions.
American staples such as the NFL, UFC, and college football continue to monopolize the state’s sports betting markets. Whilst the Detroit Lions continue to scrap away without much success in the NFL, Michigan has two teams in the Big 10 (University of Michigan and Michigan State University), both of which are two of the most prominent collegiate sporting institutions across America.
Detroit also has its own teams in the NBA (Detroit Pistons), the MLB (Detroit Tigers), and the NHL (Detroit Red Wings), making it one of the most diverse sporting cities in the USA.
A range of sports betting markets is offered across all four of the leading sports in America, and the floor of Michigan’s in-person casinos is often a memorable place to be as the action unfolds.
The impact of sportsbook betting across Michigan is also felt on a broader scale as the number of sporting markets available to punters in the state continues to evolve.
Betting staples such as tennis, golf, and horse racing can all be accessed through online and in-person sports betting operations in Michigan as the state looks to cater to the gambling needs of every sports betting enthusiast.
More niche offerings, such as motorsports, UFC/MMA, and Esports, are also popping up among Michigan’s sports betting apps as the state looks to embrace the online sports betting revolution fully.
What Types of Sports Bets Can You Place in Michigan?
Each state’s laws regulate American sportsbooks regarding the types of bets gamblers can place on a given sporting event.
Michigan has broken the mold somewhat in its regulations, as each price/bet offered to customers must use official league/competition data in grading live wagers. This means that sportsbooks don’t have the final say on the prices they give out to customers; they are all pre-regulated.
This works both ways. It protects the punter, who, in the event they win a bet, will be paid what is rightfully theirs under the algorithm set out by the sportsbook regulators. Furthermore, it protects the casino/company offering the odds, as they won’t have to pay out any unexpected extra winnings.
Punters are divided on the effectiveness of this regulation. Still, sports betting apps are a new vocation in Michigan, and these measures have been implemented to protect all parties from the outset.
While the odds offered are restricted, Michigan’s sports betting laws don’t prohibit any particular type of sports betting and aim to cater to the needs of every punter in the state.
Straight/single-game bets continue to be the most popular wager placed across all sports as punters look to predict the outcome of a chosen game correctly.
Moneyline and spread bets are also very popular across American sports, and the in-play markets have boomed online since their launch in Michigan at the start of 2021.
Parlays and accumulators offer low-risk, high-reward options for punters, and they are becoming increasingly popular with Michigan gamblers within the online sphere, as a small stake can yield a substantial amount of money returned if things go your way!
The advent of live betting has been the catalyst for sports betting apps to become a worldwide phenomenon over the last decade, and betting institutions in Michigan have embraced the offering. In-play bets across a range of score lines/results and fixtures are instantly accessible through online betting sites in Michigan, allowing players to bet on their chosen field as the action unfolds.
