The hottest month of summer proved to be one of the hottest profit-wise for Detroit Casinos in August in Greektown. According to the Michigan Gaming Control Board, the three Detroit casinos topped more than $106 million in August.
The three commercial Detroit casinos include the MGM Grand Detroit, the land-based partner of BetMGM Online Casino, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown. Motor City is the land-based casino partner to FanDuel Casino.
A breakdown of August’s $106.9 million casino revenue
Not surprisingly, MGM Grand Detroit dominated August, nearly accounting for 50% of the $106+ million casino game revenue. Motor City Casino came in a distant second with a 30% share. Hollywood Casino finished a distant third, contributing 22% to the $106.9 million casino revenue.
Table games and slot machines made up $105.7 million of the total, while in-person sportsbooks contributed $1.2 million. The sorely needed gambling revenue leads to more than $8.5 million in gaming taxes to fund infrastructure projects throughout the Great Lakes State.
Even though Michigan has 23 tribal casinos, they pay considerably less in gaming taxes to local state agencies. This is due to the Indian Bureau’s economic impact of legalizing tribally owned casinos for federally recognized sovereign tribal nations, courtesy of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.
To prevent billions in lost gaming tax revenue from leaving the state, the Michigan Gaming Control Board continues its unyielding campaign, cracking down on unlicensed online casinos.
Still, August’s Detroit casino totals were down more than 4% from August’s total from 2024. Aware of the pervasive nature of illegal gambling sites, in August, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined the 49 other Attorneys General in seeking support from the Trump administration to permanently close down illegal gambling sites.
The continued shift to Michigan online casinos
While the near $107 million August haul marks a promising trend for in-person casino play in the aftermath of the global COVID-19 shutdown, it also marks the continued dominance and shift of Michigan online casinos.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, Detroit casinos were closed. With Michiganders forced to stay home, they turned to the best MI online casinos for safe, 24/7 access to the premier casino games. Michigan online casinos and online sports betting became legal in December 2019 with Governor Whitmer signing House Bills 4311 and 4916.
With the best real money online slots by software developers like NetEnt and IGT a tap away on casino apps, it’s no wonder that the 15 licensed Michigan online casinos continue to thrive.
Compared to the three Detroit casinos, the fifteen Michigan online casinos offer more online casino bonuses than playing in person. The best Michigan online casinos offer packaged welcome bonuses like the $10 sign-up offer and up to $1,000 in deposit bonus credits for new Caesars Palace Online Casino members.
Using the Caesars Casino promo code SLMLIVELAUNCH unlocks this as well as the 2,500 reward points with a $25 wager.
Caesars members can tie in their online reward points at any Caesars Entertainment owned casinos. BetMGM does the same for its members. Win or lose, members can tie in their loyalty program points from the $25 no-deposit bonus and the max $1,000 deposit bonus credits to perks at MGM Grand Detroit.
Detroit casinos are still in it to win it
Unmoved from the slight dip in August, the Michigan Gaming Control Board earlier this month renewed the licenses for all three commercial Detroit casinos.
The highly anticipated license renewal comes after reviewing all of the Detroit casino’s comprehensive annual performance, as well as following regulations. This means an unwavering commitment to responsible gaming measures.
By extension, the 15 licensed Michigan online casinos must also provide excellent responsible gaming practices, including self-exclusion options, session and spending limits, and resources to seek professional help, like from Gamblers Anonymous, for example.
This comes at a time when the Michigan Gaming Control Board received the prestigious Platinum dotCOMM Award for its Mini Me 30-second commercial as part of the Don’t Regret the Bet campaign. September also marks Responsible Gaming Education Month by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, which also includes the best Michigan sportsbooks.