False Start: Several Michigan Sportsbooks Hope To Be Ready For Football Season

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Three retail sportsbooks in Detroit opened with over a week to spare before March Madness.

Michigan’s 12 federally recognized tribal casinos had already anticipated missing out on the basketball action. Certain casinos had scheduled the launch of their in-house sportsbooks for late spring or summer, deliberately leaving room for potential delays to secure a share of the fall football revenue.

As you are already aware, the COVID-19 pandemic had significant repercussions. Not only did it result in the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament, but it also brought a halt to much of the sports betting industry.

Many of the casinos in the Michigan region will now face a test after a prolonged false start for sports betting.

Soaring Eagle sportsbook yet to take off

The CEO of Saginaw Chippewa Gaming Enterprises, Mike Bean, has announced that the retail sportsbook at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, the largest tribal casino in the state, will now be launching in late summer or early fall. This comes after initially planning for an aggressive late-spring timeline.

The Sportsbook plans at Soaring Eagle remain unchanged, featuring the inclusion of the Ascend sports bar and several betting kiosks dispersed throughout the venue.

Bean, the manager of Soaring Eagle and Saganing Eagles Landing Casino & Hotel in Standish, stated in an email to Playinmichigan that the COVID-19 situation has significantly hindered progress.

As of Monday, both facilities have recently reopened. Bean mentioned that the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe is not yet prepared to disclose its sports betting and online casino partner.

As the rule-making process is underway, the Michigan Gaming Control Board and MI Legislature are anticipated to introduce mobile sports betting and online casinos in the coming months, potentially by the end of this year or the beginning of the next.

DraftKings, Bay Mills pact could break news lull

On Thursday morning, DraftKings Sports Betting made an official announcement about its expansion into the Michigan market through its partnership with the Bay Mills Indian Community.

As part of the agreement, the Great Lakes State will welcome one of the largest mobile sports betting applications in the country, along with a retail sportsbook located at Bay Mills Casino & Resort in Brimley. This small town is situated in the eastern Upper Peninsula, where the Bay Mills tribe also manages the nearby Kings Club Casino.

Odawa Casinos achieves Victories

By now, Ron Olson, the general manager of Odawa Casinos, had anticipated that sports betting would have been up and running at the casino’s Petoskey and Mackinaw City venues.

However, Olson’s options are limited to remodels only, as no bets are currently allowed at the new Victories Sports & Entertainment Complex in Petoskey.

According to Olson, the casino has sent a letter to the National Indian Gaming Commission seeking approval to begin retail sports betting. He expressed optimism that it will be operational by August.

USBookmaking has formed a partnership with the Odawa operators, specifically the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, to establish a retail sports betting operation. This renowned Las Vegas family business currently operates sportsbooks at three tribal casinos, with one located in New Mexico. Additionally, plans are underway to introduce sportsbooks in Colorado and Iowa.

The Stars Group is collaborating with Odawa for its online sports betting and iGaming operations.

When will other tribal casinos launch retail sportsbooks?

This is what we have gathered about the sportsbooks in Michigan’s other tribal casinos.

Lower Peninsula sportsbooks

• The reopening of FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek took place on June 1st. However, the launch date for the retail Dacey’s Sportsbook has been postponed, with Scientific Games set to operate the book.
• The reopening date for Four Winds Casinos has been scheduled for June 15. However, there has been no information released regarding any partnerships or launch dates for retail sportsbooks at the three Michigan locations in Dowagiac, Hartford, and New Buffalo, which are operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.
• The reopening of Gun Lake Casino in Wayland on Monday includes the exciting addition of Stage 131 Sportsbook & Lounge. This retail sportsbook, operated by Parx, a Greenwood Racing casino located north of Philadelphia, will be the first to host. While no specific launch date has been announced, the implementation will follow a “phased approach.”
• The reopening of Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown occurred on May 29. However, it remains uncertain how the COVID-19 closure will affect the timeline for the planned satellite location of William Hill Sportsbook at Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel in the nearby area of Leelanau Sands.
• The casino operated by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, located in Manistee, known as Little River Casino, resumed its operations on May 29. As of now, there is no information available regarding any schedule or partnership for Little River. However, the casino has promoted its River Rock Sportsbook & Grille to the public.
• On May 29, Turtle Creek Casino in Williamsburg reopened its doors. Previously, the renowned UK sports betting company, William Hill, had announced plans to launch the William Hill Sportsbook at Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel sometime this year. However, the extent to which the COVID-19 closure affected this launch remains uncertain. The sportsbook will be located at the Onyx Sports Bar.

Upper Peninsula sportsbooks

• The reopening of Island Resort & Casino in Harris took place on May 16th. However, the Hannahville Indian Community has yet to disclose any information regarding a potential partnership or the timeline for the launch of their retail sportsbook.
• Kewadin Casinos is set to resume operations on June 12, reopening its five locations. However, an exact date for the launch of the five planned retail sportsbooks in Christmas, Hessel, Manistique, Sault Ste. Marie, and St. Ignace casinos has not been determined yet. GAN serves as the technology partner for this project.
• The reopening of Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet occurred on May 22nd. PointsBet, an Australian company, has formed a partnership with the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, marking their initial venture into the tribal market. However, an official schedule for the launch of the retail sportsbook has not been announced yet.
• The Keewenaw Bay Indian Community has not provided a specific timeline for partnership and has not yet determined a reopening date for the Baraga or Marquette locations at Ojibwa Casinos.

When will Detroit sportsbooks reopen?

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is currently considering the approval for the partial reopening of Detroit’s three casinos. As of Monday, she has announced that bars and restaurants in the state can operate at 50% capacity starting from June 8.

Nevertheless, the current phase does not include commercial casinos. The governor expressed her desire to transition to the subsequent reopening phase prior to July 4.

Since March 16, Greektown Casino-Hotel, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino have remained closed.

Greektown, a property owned by Penn National Gaming, currently has a temporary sportsbook and plans to introduce a Barstool Sportsbook in the center of the casino floor. Meanwhile, MGM renamed Moneyline Sports Lounge to BetMGM Sports Lounge upon its launch, and MotorCity partnered with Detroit Lions icon Barry Sanders to inaugurate the FanDuel Sportsbook in Michigan on March 12th.

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