Sports Illustrated is leaving the online casino market in the state of Michigan, a move that will be made official towards the end of 2024. This has been a rumor for much of 2024, but an official announcement has finally been made by Evoke.
Evoke is the new name of 888 Holdings, and it has announced that it has ended its contract with SI, and that essentially eliminated the option for having an online casino in the state. It is Evoke that is making the move to remove SI from Michigan, but it will keep the online casino up and running until the end of the year.
888 Holdings has been in the news a lot when it comes to the iGaming industry in the United States, and none of the news has been positive. This company has decided to sell it’s U.S. assets to Hard Rock, and it will be leaving the country altogether.
That decision is not only going to impact those that play online casino games in Michigan, but it has also pulled out of states such as New Jersey as well. 888 Holdings just wasn’t seeing enough revenue to continue to operate in the United States.
SI online casino launched in the state in Michigan back in February 2023, and it hasn’t seen much success during its tenure. At the time, SI online casino was replacing TwinSpires as it was another operator that failed to have much success.
What Happens Next?
This move to leave the state of Michigan will take away one of the online casino operators in the state, dropping the total down to just 14. Don’t expect to see that online license open for long though as there will be many companies that are looking to launch.
Hard Rock Bet is the most logical option as it will be taking over other 888 Holdings assets in the United States. Nothing is guaranteed though, and the company will have to apply for a license through the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
There could be some other operators looking to break into Michigan as well, but this market already features most of the biggest names. Players can still continue to use the SI Casino until it goes dark, and Evoke will continue to provide a unique online casino experience.
Michigan Revenue Report
The SI Casino has not gone over $1.8 million in monthly revenue since April 2023, and things have started to drop off even more of late. That total dropped all the way down to $1.21 million during the month of February, and it’s not likely to improve much moving forward.
FanDuel led the market during the month of April as it went over $50 million in monthly revenue. DraftKings Casino wasn’t far behind at all as it was just shy of the $50 million mark. Total monthly revenue for the month was nearly $200 million, but the two biggest names have been doing much of the heavy lifting.
