As we were saying goodbye to 2022 amid the coldness of the fall and winter months, Michigan online gambling was just getting warmed up. In fact, both October and November were record months for i-gaming revenue in the state. This despite an overall decline in sports betting from the year before.
Total gambling revenue for the state was over $186 million in November, which was an increase of more that 15% from the same time last year. But Michigan online gambling accounted for $145 million, which was a jump of 35% year-on-year.
Moving forward, their is reason for continued optimism as the state’s online poker will be even more robust. Interstate online poker had originally been approved in January 2021. Now, the Gaming Control Board has approved PokerStars to join the existing online poker compact that exists between Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware.
This will permit online poker players in Michigan to join players on PokerStars in those other states. That should translate to more available cash tables, and larger tournaments with more players and bigger prize pools.
Michigan online gambling was able to generate well over $28 million in tax revenue for the state just in the month of October. The state had collected over $260 million from online casino taxes, and nearly $12 million from online sports betting, through November of last year.