Gambling in the USA

PlayMichigan.com: Michigan sportsbooks live, but best is yet to come

Published

6 years ago

March 11, 2020

Michigan bettors will have their first opportunity to place a legal sports bet with today’s opening of two Detroit-area sportsbooks, a momentous first step in the state’s fledgling industry. But with online sports betting and internet casino operations still a year away, the most significant leap forward is still months away, according to PlayMichigan analysts.

“Today is something that sports bettors across Michigan have been waiting for for years, which makes it a moment to celebrate,” said Dustin Gouker, chief analyst for PlayMichigan.com. “But much work remains, particularly with the launch of online sports betting still months away, if Michigan is to reach its potential as a market.”

Greektown Casino and MGM Grand Detroit are expected to accept their first sports wagers today, and MotorCity Casino likely won’t be far behind. The launch comes less than three months after HB 496 was signed into law and just in time for the tip of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, one of the largest sports betting holidays in the country.

Michigan, which was the 13th state to legalize online sports betting nationwide and just the fifth state to legalize online casino gambling, should eventually be one of the nation’s largest markets. Once mature, PlayMichigan expects the Wolverine State to generate $7 billion to $8 billion in sports bets each year and produce $500 million in annual gross operator revenue.

But until online sports betting launches, which appears unlikely to happen until 2021, Michigan won’t come close to those targets. More than 85% of all sports bets in New Jersey, the nation’s largest sports betting market, are made online. In neighboring Indiana, 77.9% of sports wagers were made online in February.

“With the NCAA Tournament just ahead, the timing of the launch is good, but it would have been better if both retail and online sports betting could have launched together,” Gouker said. “The high expectations for the market should remain relatively muted until online sportsbooks get off the ground. Once that happens, though, Michigan should ramp up rapidly.”

Michigan is well-positioned for its future once the state finalizes regulations for online sportsbooks. With a rate for sports betting gross revenue at 8.4%, in addition to 1.25% city tax for Detroit casinos, the tax structure is reasonable. And Michigan casinos have already struck smart partnerships with some of the biggest and best-known sports betting brands in the country, including FanDuel, PointsBet, and William Hill.

“Michigan has put together a balanced framework that is fair to operators and should yield significant tax revenue for the state,” Gouker said. “By being thoughtful in their approach, Michigan lawmakers avoided some of the growth-stunting policies that will likely slow down states such as Illinois.”

For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting in Michigan, visit PlayMichigan.com/news.

Related Topics:Michigan PlayMichigan.com sportsbooks

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Gambling in the USA

IGT Games Deliver Giant Million-Dollar-Plus Jackpots in January

Published

4 days ago

February 25, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

igt-games-deliver-giant-million-dollar-plus-jackpots-in-january

IGT announced that its Wheel of Fortune Slots, Powerbucks, and MegaJackpots games awarded four momentous jackpots in January.

Lucky slots players won the following million-dollar-plus jackpots last month:

• On January 5, a Wheel of Fortune Slots player won $1,132,199 playing Wheel of Fortune Super Cash Link at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss.

• On January 8, a Powerbucks slots player won CA$1,657,823 playing Whitney Houston Powerbucks slots at Lake City Casino Vernon in British Columbia, Canada.

• On January 15, a Powerbucks slots player won CA$1,056,637 playing Gong Xi Fa Cai Grand at ACE Casino Red Deer in Alberta, Canada.

• On January 18, an online slots player won $1,247,834 playing MegaJackpots Cash Eruption on Caesars Palace Online Casino in New Jersey.

Wheel of Fortune slots have minted over 1200 millionaires and awarded over $3.6 billion in jackpots since their launch in 1996. IGT Powerbucks slots have paid 74 jackpots of CA$1 million or more since their Canadian debut in 2016.

The post IGT Games Deliver Giant Million-Dollar-Plus Jackpots in January appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

AI in lottery

Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering

Published

5 days ago

February 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

scientific-games-appoints-rich-wasserman-as-senior-vice-president-of-product-engineering

Scientific Games has appointed Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering, reinforcing its commitment to advancing lottery systems technology and digital innovation.

Based in Atlanta, the global lottery provider continues to expand its technology leadership as one of the fastest-growing suppliers of retail and digital lottery solutions worldwide.

Leadership Experience from Amazon, Facebook and Stitch Fix

Wasserman brings more than 20 years of experience leading engineering, data science and product teams across high-performance technology platforms.

He previously held senior leadership roles at:

Amazon
Facebook
Stitch Fix

At Stitch Fix, he served as Vice President of Engineering and Data Science, leading automation, AI-driven systems and platform optimization initiatives. Wasserman holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a Computer Science degree from the University at Buffalo.

Driving Innovation Across Global Lottery Platforms

In his new role, Wasserman will oversee Product Engineering across Scientific Games’ global portfolio serving more than 150 government-regulated lotteries. His responsibilities include advancing:

Retail lottery systems
Digital lottery platforms
Hardware and software innovation
Data analytics and AI capabilities
Consumer engagement technologies

CEO Pat McHugh stated that Wasserman’s experience scaling AI-powered platforms at world-class technology firms will help accelerate innovation and deliver next-generation lottery solutions focused on sustainable growth.

Strengthening Lottery Technology Leadership

Scientific Games continues to invest in technology, analytics and digital transformation to enhance consumer experiences across retail and online lottery channels. The appointment underscores the company’s strategy to integrate advanced analytics and machine learning into its global lottery ecosystem.

The post Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Gambling in the USA

Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering

Published

5 days ago

February 24, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

Former Amazon, Facebook and Stitch Fix Exec to Lead Product Engineering for Global Lottery Provider

Scientific Games has named Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering. Wasserman brings more than 20 years of experience leading global engineering, data science and product organizations across complex, high-performance technology platforms.

As the industry’s fastest-growing lottery systems technology provider, Scientific Games continues to invest in technology and talent to deliver seamless consumer experiences across lottery retail and digital channels.

Wasserman previously held senior leadership roles at Amazon and Facebook, where he led large-scale systems powered by advanced analytics and machine learning. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Engineering and Data Science at Stitch Fix, leading integrated teams focused on automation and platform optimization. Wasserman holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a degree in Computer Science from the University at Buffalo.

In his new role, Wasserman will lead Product Engineering across Scientific Games’ global product portfolio serving government-regulated lotteries, advancing hardware and software platforms to accelerate innovation, expand analytics capabilities and consumer-engagement to deliver long-term value for lottery customers worldwide.

“We’re excited to add Rich’s deep technical expertise scaling innovative, AI-driven platforms at world-class organizations to further strengthen Scientific Games’ technology leadership,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer of Scientific Games. “As we continue investing in innovation and analytics across retail and digital lottery solutions, his experience and leadership will help us deliver the next generation of high-performance products that drive sustainable growth for our lottery customers worldwide.”

Scientific Games serves more than 150 lotteries globally with a comprehensive portfolio of retail systems, digital platforms, instant games and analytics solutions.

The post Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.