Michigan to Launch Mobile Sports Betting in a Matter of Days?

For the last two months, Michigan sports betting enthusiasts have been waiting impatiently for the state to finally allow online sports betting providers to start taking wagers. For a while, it looked like it would happen during the holidays. Unfortunately, there was no holiday cheer for sports bettors.

While everything seems to be moving forward under the cloak of silence, there are indications that maybe Michigan online sports betting is ready to see the light of day.

After a Jan. 12 meeting of the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), indications were made that an announcement about the opening of online sports wagering for Michigan residents would be forthcoming very soon. What does that mean? Well, it could mean today or tomorrow or two weeks from now. What has everyone's interest peaked is something does seem to be moving forward.

It's important to remember that should the MGCB give the green light in the coming days, it might still take some time for licensed bookmakers to prepare for the onslaught of wagering from a state of hungry Wolverine sports fan. It's not like someone can just flip a switch and everything starts rolling.

With the Super Bowl slated to go just two weeks from now, there is a lot of incentive to get things open as soon as possible. Super Bowl Sunday is by far the most important day on the sports betting calendar, and there is little doubt that Michigan sports bettors and the state's bookmakers would like to have access to the game.

Keeping in mind there has been no announcement about the granting of mobile sports betting licenses, there is a presumption that some of the nation's top bookmakers could be ready to roll in a matter of days. They would just need the licensing and a final thumbs up from the MGCB.

It's not going too far out on a limb to assume that the first bookmakers to start taking bets in Michigan would be:

• BetMGM Sportsbook
• PointsBet Sportsbook
• William Hill Sportsbook
• FanDuel Sportsbook
  
• DraftKings Sportsbook
  

What all four of these bookmakers have in common is they are all well entrenched in the U.S. sports betting market, they all have excellent mobile apps that can easily be put into place for Michigan sports bettors, and they all are ready to go at a moment's notice.

Given the cloak of secrecy, the best thing Michigan sports bettors can do at this point get ready and hope that Super Bowl Sunday comes and mobile bookmakers will be ready to take bets.