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The 2025 year is quickly winding down and it was a big one for online casinos in Michigan.
Revenue records were made once again, new operators entered the market, more and more games became available.
With 2026 just a matter of days away, what can we expect to see in the new year when it comes to the online gambling industry? Here’s some expectations I look for in 2026.
Michigan Online Casinos to Top $3.5 Billion in Revenue
We already know Michigan’s iGaming operators are going to collectively hit a new yearly revenue record in 2025.
Already at one with $2.77 billion through November, the new record to chase in 2026 will ultimately be over $3 billion.
There seems to be no end in sight of how high the revenue numbers can continue to grow. While the growth rate isn’t necessarily getting bigger year-to-year, the additional revenue between years keeps getting larger.
- 2021: $1,113,999,385
- 2022: $1,582,454,458 (up 42.1%, additional $468.5 million)
- 2023: $1,923,857,570 (up 21.6%, additional $341.4 million)
- 2024: $2,441,154,468 (up 26.9%, additional $517.3 million)
- 2025: $3.02-$3.06 billion estimate (up 24-25%, additional $580-$620 million)
There’s no reason to believe that the added revenue won’t continue to happen. Even if you were to make a conservative estimate of an additional $400 million, that pushes Michigan toward $3.5 billion in 2026 online casino revenue. A more average prediction of another $500 million tacked on will put Michigan over that $3.5 billion yearly milestone.
Should that happen, it would bring in over $670 million in state tax revenue, along with over $250 million for local tax revenue. That’s not far from $1 billion altogether.
Hard Rock Bet Casino to Outperform Predecessor
This isn’t a big reach, as SI Casino struggled to ever get off the ground floor in Michigan.
The Hannahville Indian Community was hoping for more success from its online casino license partner, but it topped out at $2.1 million in its first full month of operation in March of 2023 and never improved from there.
With Hard Rock Bet launching in December, expect this operation to see more success and consistently surpass that $2 million monthly revenue mark throughout 2026.
With Hard Rock Bet Casino already existing in a very competitive New Jersey online casino industry, the operator knows what it takes to make a successful platform. Hard Rock is currently firmly in the sixth spot when it comes to NJ online casino revenue month-to-month.
Hard Rock Bet can bring that same experience to Michigan with its new casino. With a solid Hard Rock Casino promo code offer available to new users of the platform, Hard Rock can get out to a fast start and see where it stacks up against Michigan’s other top online casinos.
MGCB to Continue Pursuit of Illegal Gambling
If there’s one thing that has been made clear by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, it is that it will not accept illegal gambling in the state of any form.
The regulatory board of the state has already taken action against hundreds of operations they deemed illegal online casinos.
That is not likely to stop in 2026, especially as the lines between legal and illegal get a little blurrier.
We have seen a lot of traction around the globe when it comes to sweepstakes casinos, as well as prediction markets.
Some of the biggest online operators have began making there way toward prediction markets in states that don’t offer legal online sports betting or online casinos. DraftKings, FanDuel, and others have thrown their hat into the predictions markets ring, with the MGCB issuing warning that it could jeopardize their standing with Michigan when it comes to being licensed for online sports betting and online casinos.
Robinhood is already a market operating in the state without the MGCB’s approval.
As these legal battles continue around the US in regard to prediction markets, Michigan’s stance should become clearer when there is a legal precedent to rely on.
New Game Formats, Platforms Seem Likely
Each year it seems that Michigan online casinos are adding new game styles and formats to their already vast libraries.
Whether it’s a new live dealer game, the addition of a new format like DraftKings Rocket, or cross-branded games that can be played online or at retail casinos, the industry is always looking for new ways to bring in customers.
Don’t look for that to change in 2026, either. Game makers and online casinos are always going to be searching for new features to stand out.
Artificial Intelligence is already playing a role in terms of customer acquisition information, allowing operators to tailor each player’s experience differently. That could expand into the games themselves as AI technology advances. Could we eventually see AI-developed games around an actual customer’s preferences or lifestyle? It’s definitely not out of the question.
Given the current legal battles going on with prediction markets, it also seems like there will be a middle ground reached at some point. That could bring the prediction market operators into a regulatory framework. It could also see regulators working with current legal online casinos to develop their own prediction markets in a legal setting.
Drew Ellis has experience covering the gambling industries in North America and around the world. Decades of media experience provide him with the background to handle the complexities of different gambling laws and policies around the United States and North America. Ellis has primarily focused on online and retail casino news since 2021. Prior to working in the gambling industry, Ellis spent over 20 years in the newspaper industry, covering sports and the gambling. His work for The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun and The Oakland Press was recognized with awards by the Associated Press and other media organizations. Drew has also contributed to the Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press.