The Michigan Gaming Control Board reported Wednesday a statewide hold of 14.6% for its sportsbooks in August, likely fueled by Detroit Lions futures and possibly Detroit Tigers ones as well.
The $345.6 million overall handle for the month was up 19.3% compared to last year. August is a time when bettors scour the markets for NFL and college football futures, and the Lions are still in the window of competing for their first Super Bowl appearance. The Tigers, tracking to their first division title since 2014, were an American League wild-card team last year.
Those expected futures wagers contributed to a gross revenue total of $50.5 million, skyrocketing 73.9% higher than last year. Wolverine State sportsbooks have enjoyed a banner summer, attaining holds of 12.2% or higher for four consecutive months. August’s win rate ranks fifth among 61 months of wagering since launch in March 2020 and second in the mobile era that began the following January.
Four of the top five monthly holds since mobile wagering began in Michigan have occurred this year.
| Month | Handle | Gross Revenue | Hold |
| JANUARY 2025 | $574,628,173 | $85,560,634 | 14.89% |
| AUGUST 2025 | $345,619,335 | $50,512,970 | 14.62% |
| JUNE 2025 | $309,923,493 | $45,289,962 | 14.61% |
| September 2022 | $383,102,604 | $50,450,674 | 13.17% |
| MAY 2025 | $395,296,514 | $51,245,156 | 12.96% |
The state levied taxes on $35.4 million in adjusted gross revenue (AGR), providing an inflow of $2.1 million into its coffers. The city of Detroit collected $618,800 worth of receipts for August, pushing its year-to-date total over $5 million.
Big 3 keep posting big numbers
Michigan mobile sports betting usually centers around FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM, and the trio have been pacesetters for those high monthly holds. Each operator has had a double-digit hold every month from May through August, with FanDuel 15.6% or higher, DraftKings 10.7% or better, and BetMGM 13.1% or higher.
FanDuel pulled off the double as tops in handle and revenue, though it narrowly topped DraftKings in the former category at $107 million compared to $103 million. FanDuel had an eye-watering 16.7% hold for August to reap $17.8 million in revenue, while DraftKings was no slouch at 15.3% in keeping $15.7 million.
BetMGM’s 13.3% hold provided $6.8 million in revenue from $50.7 million worth of wagers. It also moved significantly closer to zeroing out its massive $45.7 million AGR loss from June 2024 when it took previously unclaimed deductions. BetMGM’s cumulative loss since that posting is $943,222. Come September, it could pay state taxes for the first time since May 2024.
Fanatics piled on bettors with a 13.9% hold in collecting $4.2 million in gross winnings, its second-highest total since entering Michigan in February 2022 and $105,200 off its record $4.3 million established in January.
If there was a place where bettors salvaged some pride, it was with Caesars. Its hold was a modest 6.4% in August in collecting close to $1.3 million in winnings from $20 million handle.
Because the fiscal year is not complete in Michigan — it ends Sept. 30 — the year-over-year comparisons for AGR are skewed because of MGM’s write-off last year. The $304.5 million in statewide taxable winnings is up 56.1% from Fiscal Year 2024, but state tax revenue is only up $979,300.
North Carolina sportsbooks shake off subpar July
Over in North Carolina, sportsbooks notched a collective 11.3% win rate for August, according to figures released by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission. That was more than five percentage points higher than July, when the 6.1% hold was the third-lowest recorded.
The resulting $54.1 million in August revenue was up 60.3% compared to last year as Tar Heel State sportsbooks topped $50 million for the 10th time overall. It was also more than double the $22.7 million claimed in July.
Handle clicked 29.2% higher from last year to $478.7 million among the eight commercial operators as total handle since launch in March 2024 neared $10 billion. Promotional spend also kicked up ahead of the start of the NFL season: the $14.8 million collective outlay was up 12.6% from last year and accounted for 3.1% of total handle.
Promotional spend represents only 2.9% of the $4.3 billion year-to-date handle after accounting for 8.3% of the $5.42 billion wagered in 2024.
The state collected $9.7 million in tax receipts, lifting the year-to-date total to $74.7 million. In a like-for-like comparison, the $51.3 million inflow to coffers since March is running $11.9 million behind last year’s pace.
