The first year of legalized mobile casino in Michigan saw revenue reach $1 billion. People in Michigan had the chance to gamble legally rather than use offshore casinos, and they loved it. Michigan’s casinos also offer sports betting, which is a growing source of revenue. As more states start going the route of legalization, Michigan can provide them with an example of how to do it. It is successfully operating both online casinos and sports betting.
Good preparation before launching
When Michigan legalized online gambling and sports betting, it had the examples of Pennsylvania and New Jersey to follow. There were many moving pieces to put in place, including getting all casinos in agreement. This was particularly complex in Michigan as it included tribal casinos. Years of preparation went in before the launch.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board realized that what applied to retail casinos did not necessarily apply to online casinos. It had to talk to industry experts and learn in detail how online casinos should operate. Thanks to years of preparation, the launch went smoothly. People can now enjoy playing slots and table games at the casinos licensed to operate in Michigan, such as Gun Lake online casino.
Safety and privacy
When starting a business today, one of the main considerations is safety and privacy. This is very important in the gambling industry. Using offshore operators means that gamblers have no recourse if anything goes wrong. Gambling at licensed casinos offers more safety and security thanks to the regulations they must abide by.
Operators use advanced encryption techniques and protect accounts with various layers of security, including two-factor authentication and strong passwords. Gamblers know that their money and data are safe.
Variety of games on offer
Michigan casino sites offer hundreds of slot machines and table games. Some of the games are live dealer games. Gamblers can play games like poker and blackjack with a live dealer, thanks to live casino software.
This provides an experience much like being in a land-based casino. Live dealer games are becoming more popular, and it’s likely that more online casinos will start to offer them.
Self-regulation
Online gambling is different from land-based casinos, with plenty of staff, all kinds of rules in place and long-established routines. The MGCB expects licensees in Michigan to be the primary regulators of their online casinos. They need to ensure that they comply with the laws and rules. It can be difficult because operators may have platforms in multiple states with different laws.
Michigan is not always perfect from this point of view, and there are some lapses, but on the whole, things are running very successfully. When operators make rules more complicated than they need to be, it can make a launch difficult. For example, when Ontario launched sports betting, some policies and rules were so convoluted that some major operators had to delay launching for weeks.
Tax revenue
In 2021, Michigan generated $249 million in taxes from online gambling. It made nearly $85 million from sports betting. With speculation about whether there will be a recession or not and how deep it will be, the economic forecast for 2023 is uncertain. Some states believe that if they legalize online betting, their land-based casinos will go out of business.
This hasn’t been the case in Michigan, and a study in New Jersey showed that mobile casinos actually encouraged more people to visit land-based casinos. More states are on track to legalize casinos in 2023 as they realize how much they can benefit from the tax revenue they generate.
