A major player in the world of legal sports betting has found an entrypoint into Michigan.
DraftKings Sportsbook announced it has partnered with Bay Mills Indian Community, a tribe in the Upper Peninsula that operates two casinos in the state.
As a result, ahead of Michigan launching online sports betting, DraftKings gains an avenue to its eighth state to offer legalized online wagering.
DraftKings pads state sports betting portfolio
The daily fantasy sports giant began its quick rise to power in 2018 by making its debut in New Jersey. It has since taken over as a dominant force in the Garden State and has aggressively expanded as other states passed legislation to regulate wagering.
Since its New Jersey origins, DraftKings Sportsbook has started operations in the following states:
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
- Indiana
- New Hampshire
- Iowa
- Colorado
In addition, DraftKings boasts branded retail sportsbooks in Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Mississippi, and New York.
DraftKings, which recently started to offer DFS in Michigan, became a publicly traded company toward the end of April and has become quite successful as stocks have risen from $17 to $41 during that stretch.
The company certainly has high expectations for Michigan sports betting, as stated by Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer for DraftKings, in the press release.
“The Great Lakes State presents a number of gaming opportunities and we look forward to collaborating with Bay Mills to provide residents with the best-in-class experience DraftKings is known for.”
Bay Mills gets into the swing of sports betting
As indicated, DraftKings will operate a branded brick-and-mortar sportsbook at Bay Mills Resort & Casino, the longest-running casino in Michigan.
The Bay Mills tribe stood as one of 15 partnerships available for sportsbook operators and actually became one of the later land-based properties to land such a partner.
That said, while late, Bay Mills gained quite an asset in DraftKings.
After all, competing properties boasted renowned sportsbooks as FanDuel, William Hill, Fox Bet, BetMGM and PointsBet.
With DraftKings, Bay Mills wields a powerful tool as the company features a wide customer base and great familiarity. For good reason, Bay Mills has expressed excitement for the next step.
“We are excited about our new partnership with DraftKings,” Bryan Newland, tribal chairman for the Bay Mills Indian Community, said in the release.
“Expanding on what entertainment options we can offer at Michigan’s longest operating gaming facility is always our goal. Our new on-site DraftKings Sportsbook will be one more great reason for Michiganders to vacation with us in the Upper Peninsula.”
