Business to business igaming software developer, GAN has announced its partnership with the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians to bring online gaming to the state of Michigan.
GAN will be powering the platforms that will allow the tribe’s five land based casinos to offer online casino and sports—in line with the law that states that online gambling will only be permitted through partnerships with land-based Michigan casinos.
“Michigan has long represented an attractive market with both Internet sports and Internet casino gaming now regulated,” Jeff Berman, Chief Commercial Officer of GAN said via a press release
Our technical expertise and ‘day one’ experience in multiple U.S. Internet gambling markets will enable the Sault Tribe to capture their share of the online opportunity and we thank them for their trust in forming this relationship with GAN and our major U.S. casino operator client whose identity will be confirmed in due course. We are incredibly excited to bring real money Internet gambling to Michigan, which remains at the core of our mission, strategy and purpose in the United States.
December 2019 saw real progress made in bringing MI online gaming to reality. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of bills into effect on December 20, 2019 that legalized online poker in Michigan along with online casino games and online sports betting.
At the time Whitmer was quoted as saying: “My top priority in signing this legislation was protecting and investing in the School Aid Fund, because our students deserve leaders who put their education first.”
Key Information About Online Gaming in Michigan
- Population 10 million
- Online Gaming bill to encompass online poker, casino and sports betting signed into law in December 2019
- Michigan is the 6th state in the USA to legalize online poker following Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia
- GAN expects the gaming market in Michigan to generate $377 million in revenue in its first 12 months and $836 million by the fourth year of operations
- Online gaming and sports betting are permitted through partnerships with the state’s three land-based casinos in Detroit and the 23 tribal casinos throughout the state
PokerStars in Michigan
The Stars Group (TSG), parent company of PokerStars, has also made tracks in the state in order to bring its online poker, casino and sports offerings to Michigan players. TSG partnered with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authority as a result of the law that requires online operators to partner with land-based casinos in order to offer their services to consumers in the state.
Inked back in January 2020, TSG was the first online operator to form a partnership with a land-based Michigan casino. It is is expected that poker and online casino offerings will be provided under the PokerStars MI brand and sport betting will be housed under the FOX Bet brand.
Currently PokerStars is up and operational in the US regulated markets of Pennsylvania under the PokerStars PA brand and New Jersey as PokerStars NJ.
William Hill in Michigan
William Hill, a British betting company, announced in February 2020 a partnership with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) to bring its online gambling products to the state.
William Hill will run the sportsbook at the GTB’s Turtle Creek Casino, but this partnership will also see the company bring its online casino offering to the state, which will be the first for William Hill in the USA.
Online gambling is not expected to go live in Michigan until 2021.
