Michigan Gaming Control Board executive director Richard Kalm spoke during the board’s monthly meeting yesterday and said, “We’re very close. I wish I could give an exact day and time, but each day that changes. We’re gathering information daily.”
Kalm said that it would take four to five days between the initial launch and when operators can accept sports wagers. Online gaming will begin under the same timeline.
Operators are pressing hard to be green lighted as soon as possible. The next few weeks will be some of the busiest of the sports calendar including the NFL playoffs, the return of the NHL and NBA and college basketball games.
Mobile sports betting could account for upwards of 90% of Michigan’s handle if the state follows trends of other markets.
DraftKings and FanDuel lead the 15 operators licensed for online sports betting in Great Lake State. Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM and Golden Nugget could challenge for top spots as well.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill in December 2019 legalized sports betting and online gaming. Retail commercial casinos began accepting sports bets right before the Covid-19 pandemic closed the same properties for several months.
The rollout to launch mobile sports wagering and online gaming was slowed down by Covid-19 as well, but Michigan is finally reaching the end of its long launch.
