BetMGM’s branding efforts are taking another step forward as the sportsbook opens for business in its fifth state, Michigan, when the MGM Grand Detroit takes its first sports bets on Wednesday.

Michigan becomes the latest state to welcome a BetMGM sportsbook, whose retail locations more resemble sports bars with booths, high-top tables, and food and beverage options. The Detroit launch is part of a sweeping reimagining of MGM’s sportsbook brand which will also be seen in several traditional Las Vegas books as well.

The MGM Grand Detroit will be one of three Detroit casinos which can accept sports bets starting Wednesday following state approval. Ever since Michigan’s sports betting law was signed into law in December 2019, the aim was to have online sports betting available by March Madness, also known as this month’s NCAA Basketball Tournament.

The state’s law allowed for mobile sports betting through licensed casino operators, not for now Michigan is retail-only. The state now hopes to have online sports betting available by the start of football season.

Neighboring Indiana sportsbooks set records for mobile handle ($145.9 million) and overall handle ($187.2 million) in February.

The BetMGM offering at MGM Grand Detroit, will open with sports betting kiosks outside the casino’s Moneyline Sports Lounge. The Detroit casino is just blocks from the home venues of all four of the city’s major professional sports teams.

BetMGM Has Solid Backing

The BetMGM books are operated by Roar Digital, a New Jersey-based company created in 2018 through a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings, a sports betting group based in Great Britain. BetGM launched a mobile sports betting option last month in Indiana in partnership with Boyd Gaming. It also operates either retail or online options in New Jersey, Mississippi and West Virginia.

Both BetMGM’s mobile app and gaming kiosks offer intuitive navigation of the full suite of wagering opportunities within the sportsbook — including pre- and in-game bets, parlays, prop bets and more. Players can also earn points and rewards through MGM Resorts’ loyalty program.

In addition, MGM Resorts International will rebrand the traditional sports books at its Las Vegas Strip properties — Aria, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mirage, Mandalay Bay, Park MGM, Excalibur, New York-New York and Luxor — under the BetMGM name, according to a company release. The online product was called PlayMGM until 2019. As part of the effort, more than 100 gaming kiosks will be spread across MGM's Las Vegas locations.