Michigan’s sports gambling market is getting full. Just in time for NCAA basketball’s March Madness, FanDuel has secured the last retail sports betting license through a partnership with Detroit’s MotorCity Casino Hotel. The deal allows the U.S-based sportsbook to launch retail operations at the gambling house, as well as offer online action once the Wolverine State greenlights virtual sports gambling. With this new partnership, all commercial sports gambling licenses have been issued.
Legal Sports Report tried to get feedback from FanDuel on the new agreement, but it preferred to keep quiet. However, the partnership is a huge coup for the leading sportsbook, which already controls 44% of the market in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. That success, according to company CEO Matt King, comes from proprietary technology and competitive pricing that is made possible by FanDuel’s parent company, Flutter Entertainment.
FanDuel is going to go up against MGM Resorts, which operates Roar Digital through a joint venture with GVC. Penn National completes the triad of commercial licenses, thanks to its purchase of the Greektown Casino-Hotel in Detroit from last year. Anyone else looking to grab a piece of the action, such as DraftKings, will have to rely on native tribes in the state as partners. Several entities, including Fox Bet and William Hill, have already made friends with Michigan tribes, so there aren’t many choices left.
Michigan’s road to legalized sports gambling wasn’t exactly smooth. Legislation was passed in 2018, but then-governor Rick Snyder, more than likely pouting over being replaced by Gretchen Whitmer, vetoed a number of bills, including an online sports gambling bill, as he was walking out the door. Whitmer put the tables back in place almost a year to the date of Snyder’s tantrum.