In the United States, online gambling is well-established in a handful of states. New Jersey has been the top earner for years now, having started in 2013 and continually increased its player base and revenue earnings month after month. Pennsylvania joined the fray in 2019 and has pulled up to compete with the Garden State. In January 2021, Michigan got started with online casino gaming. No one was expecting that the Wolverine state would give the seasoned veterans any competition, but that is exactly what is happening.
Powering to $95m
The Michigan Gaming Control Board recently released the online gambling revenue totals for March. The industry pulled in $95.1 million in earnings. This was close to the $98 million generated in Pennsylvania and not far from the $113 million earned in New Jersey.
It seems the closest competitor to Michigan is the Keystone State. It is possible that in the next month or two, Michigan will take over the top spot when it comes to online gambling earnings. It is crazy to think about how quickly the industry has risen to the top, considering it is not even six months old yet.
It should be pointed out that incentives played a role in the earnings in Michigan. Like many online gaming markets, operators in Michigan provided players with promotions to get started enjoying games online.
The current revenue totals remove the free play incentives provided by operators. So, if you add that amount back in, the online revenues came in at $107.7 million. In Pennsylvania, the same can be said and the total would change to $124 million. Still a close number and it shows that the competition is fierce between the two states.
Revenue Breakdown by Operator
Each of the online gambling brands offering services in the state are teamed up with a physical venue. There were a few operators that stood out above the rest, particularly BetMGM. The brand is of course associated with the MGM Grand Casino and was able to pull in over $30 million for the month. This is a huge number and is almost $4 million more than the previous month.
Next up was MotorCity Casino, earning $17 million for March. This operator works with the FanDuel brand. This total was much larger than the $14.9 million earned in February. Pulling up in third is Bay Mills, a brand working with DraftKings. They earned $14.9 million. This was just over $1 million from the operator’s February earnings.
Every single operator in the state offering online casino gaming saw an increase in earnings. Players are taking to the industry in an amazing way, and it is being seen by the number of bets placed and revenues earned.
It is interesting to consider the population of Michigan when reviewing the revenue numbers. The state has around 10 million people, which is a large market to pull bettors from. However, Pennsylvania has 13 million. While the market in Michigan may be smaller, it seems players are taking part in larger numbers to give the older market a little friendly competition.
We shall see in the coming weeks if the state will move to the 2nd place spot or even 1st if the earnings continue to increase as they have over the past few months.
