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Michiganians, the day is finally here: Legal online sports betting has arrived to the Wolverine State.
It’s been a long road, as sports betting was legalized over a year ago and initially launched in March 2020, albeit with restrictions that bettors had to first sign up for a sports betting account in person at a Michigan casino.
As of Friday, however, that rule has been lifted: Bettors will be able to do everything — sign up, deposit and bet — completely online anywhere within state lines.
Ten sportsbooks are set to launch on Friday, including PointsBet, one of the rising players in the early U.S. market. Read more about Michigan sports betting below, as well as the launch of PointsBet.
When Will Online Sports Betting Be Live in Michigan?
Online sports betting will go live in Michigan this Friday, as reported by our own Ryan Butler.
Tennessee, the most recent state to add legal online betting, launched with just four sportsbooks (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and Action 24/7), and even a month later it’s still just that quartet. Michigan, however, has superior regulations, which will make it an enticing state for sportsbooks.
A total of fifteen sportsbooks have been approved for sports betting in Michigan already, 10 of which will be able to take bets this Friday.
It’s good timing for Michigan, which will be live in time for the NFL Playoffs this weekend — and most importantly before the Super Bowl in February and March Madness a month later.
When Will PointsBet Launch in Michigan?
PointsBet Sportsbook is one of the 10 legal sportsbook approved by the Michigan Gaming Control Board to launch Friday. You can expect them to be live sometime in the afternoon and definitely in time for the big Michigan Wolverines basketball game on Friday ninght, as well as the NFL Playoffs this weekend.
Michigan will mark PointsBet’s sixth state so far in the U.S. market: They’ve already launched in New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. As one of the fastest growing brands in the early U.S. sports betting industry, they’ll likely continue to grow as more states come online over the next few years.
PointsBet is originally based out of Australia, where they still run a sportsbook. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of PASPA in 2018, they quickly jumped into the American market with a launch in New Jersey and have expanded about as fast as any competitor in the field.
PointsBet Michigan Information, Review & Promo Code
PointsBet doesn’t have the user base like DraftKings and FanDuel, which had a head start in the sports betting world thanks to their huge market share of daily fantasy sports (DFS) players, a lot of whom have already made the jump to sports betting in the 2.5 years since legalization.
They also don’t have the brand recognition of a BetMGM or William Hill, but there’s a reason they’re one of the fastest growing books in the U.S. and a solid bet to be a long-term disruptor of the (currently) major players. They have very sleek tech, including a user-friendly app, and they’re one of the most creative books in the industry.
One example of that creativity is their proprietary “PointsBetting” product, which allows users to gain leverage on their bets. Let’s say you bet the Michigan Wolverines to cover -4.5 tonight against Purdue. If you bet them normally on the spread, you would win your bet as long as Michigan wins by five points or more.
If you “PointsBet” them, though, you can gain leverage and additional payouts on that bet. In that case, if the Wolverines win by 10 points, you would win 5.5 times your bet. Of course, it goes the other way, too: If they lost by one, you’d lose 5.5 times your bet. It’s a creative, high risk-high reward bet type that’s very unique in the industry.
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PointsBet also offers wagers on pretty much everything: They have odds for almost all sports, and they also list unique bet types. For example, you can PointsBet player props, and you can also bet, for example, on over/under how long it will take for the Detroit Pistons to reach 50 points. They also have a name-a-bet program, so if you don’t see odds for something, just reach out and they’ll likely create a bet just for you.
Put simply, PointsBet is one of the best, most creative books in the industry. They’re a no-brainer add to your betting portfolio when they launch Friday in Michigan.