Michigan Sportsbooks Features & Promos

What makes a Michigan sportsbook the best for you? Well, that comes down to personal choice. Some bettors want a promo offer that allows them to make the most out of a smaller bankroll, others prefer low minimum bet limits. Then there are those interested in features—like early cash out and bet editing options, live streaming, contests and boosts. 

Many legal sports betting apps available in Michigan have all those features, and more.

Michigan Sports Betting Legal Path

It took some time for legal sports betting to gain traction in Michigan. The state legislature proved receptive, passing a legal sports betting bill in 2018, the same year the national ban on the practice was struck down. But then-Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed it, and things dragged from there.

It would take another governor, Gretchen Whitmer, to sign off on a bill in 2019. And it would take more than a year after that to get mobile sports betting launched, due in part to the effects of the pandemic. The first betting apps finally went live in Michigan in January of 2021.

Home Field Advantage 

Michigan is one of the heavy-hitters on the U.S. sports scene, with four major pro teams in Detroit, a pair of college teams (Michigan and Michigan State) with immense followings, and major events in Detroit ranging from annual PGA Tour and IndyCar stops to the occasional Final Four. It’s a big market with a lot going on, and one that generates a ton of sports betting interest—evidenced in the $600 million in handle the operators took in during December of 2023.

But the beating heart of Michigan’s sports scene is the Motor City, and the four major pro teams that call Detroit home—and see loads of sports betting interest as well.

NFL: Detroit Lions

Want to know what the Lions mean to Michigan? Just think back to the din in Ford Field when this long-suffering franchise won its first playoff game since 1991, and then reached the doorstep of the Super Bowl. Michiganders love this team, seeing a lot of themselves in a gritty squad that’s had to work extremely hard to get where it is. Is that passion reflected in sports betting? The $30 million jump in handle from November to December 2023 would suggest so.

MLB: Detroit Tigers

A fixture in Major League Baseball since their founding in 1901, the Tigers are steeped in lore—Ernie Harwell, Tiger Stadium, the Old English D, Cecil Fielder, Sparky Anderson and the like. In fact, it’s almost difficult to believe their last World Series title came in 1984, and that they haven’t been very good since. But even through rebuilding years, passion for the Tigers remains high, and that 162-game season provides Michigan sports bettors with lots of wagering options throughout the summer.

NBA: Detroit Pistons

They’re great, or they’re terrible. That about sums up the Pistons, a staple in the NBA since 1957. The Bad Boys won two titles and made the playoffs in eight straight seasons, another title and another stretch of playoff runs came during the Ben Wallace years, but since then things have been as quiet as a 1962 Chevy Corvair. You have to go back to 2019 to find the last time this team won more than 23 games in a season. Thank goodness for sports betting, one of the few things keeping the Pistons relevant these days.

NHL: Detroit Red Wings

From 1982 through 2016, the Red Wings were among elite of the NHL, unleashing a run of excellence that netted four Stanley Cups to go with the six others the franchise won earlier in its existence. But times have been uncharacteristically tough since then, and in 2024 the proud Red Wings were at risk of missing the playoffs for an eighth straight season. Yet the team’s legacy and brand name endure, making them of interest to Michigan sports bettors no matter the record.