Detroit’s three major casinos collectively reported a revenue of $117.4 million for March 2025, marking a strong recovery after a disappointing February in Michigan. This figure includes earnings from table games, slot machines, and retail sports betting, with a noticeable rebound compared to the previous month’s performance. While the total revenue showed a decrease of 4.5% from the same month last year, it represented a 19.2% jump compared to February 2025, signaling a positive trend as the year progresses.

Strong growth in March after February’s dip:

According to Michigan Gaming Control Board, March’s results offer a promising outlook for the rest of the year. Detroit’s casinos saw a substantial improvement from February, which had marked the first time in over a year that the combined revenue fell below the $100 million mark. March, historically a more lucrative month, produced the best revenue total for the year so far, with the expectation that it could continue to set the tone for 2025. Despite the 4.5% decline from March 2024, the month’s performance remains significant, especially considering the slow start to the year.

The breakdown of revenue for March 2025 shows that MGM Grand Detroit generated $53.8 million, leading the market share. MotorCity Casino followed with $35.9 million in revenue, while Hollywood Casino at Greektown earned $27.1 million.

These figures reflect a marked improvement from the previous month. However, for the first quarter of 2025 (January to March), Detroit’s casinos earned a combined total of $317.1 million, slightly down from $321 million in the same period in 2024. While the casinos are currently behind by about $4 million compared to last year’s first quarter, they remain optimistic about hitting their target in the months ahead, with May expected to be another strong month based on historical trends.

While the overall performance in March was positive, revenue from table games and slots saw a decline. The total revenue of $116.8 million from these two categories represented a 4.5% decrease compared to March 2024. However, it’s important to note that March’s revenue showed significant improvement compared to the previous month, with a 19.2% increase over February 2025. In the first quarter of 2025, revenue from table games and slots decreased by 1.2% compared to the same period in 2024, highlighting a slightly weaker performance overall in these categories.

For March 2025, the casinos collectively paid $9.5 million in state gaming taxes, a slight decrease from the $9.9 million paid in the same month the previous year. Additionally, they submitted $13.9 million in wagering taxes and development agreement payments to the City of Detroit.

Retail sports betting revenue and performance:

Retail sports betting contributed a smaller portion of the total revenue, bringing in $571,215. The three casinos reported a combined handle of $12.1 million in retail sports betting, but the sector saw a significant drop in performance. The qualified adjusted gross receipts (QAGR) from retail sports betting plummeted by 64.3% from March 2024 and by 30.0% from February 2025. MGM Grand Detroit was the leader in this category, generating $364,736 in QAGR, followed by MotorCity Casino at $138,458 and Hollywood Casino at Greektown at $68,022.

The casinos paid $21,592 in gaming taxes to the state based on their sports betting revenue, and an additional $26,390 in wagering taxes was submitted to the City of Detroit.

While not a major component of the casino industry’s earnings, fantasy contests also contributed to the overall performance in February 2025. Operators of fantasy contests reported total adjusted revenues of $579,297 for the month, with taxes amounting to $48,661.