Regulated online gaming and sports betting go live Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in the state of Michigan, and Golden Nugget Online Gaming (Nasdaq: GNOG) has been given the green light by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) to roll out its offering courtesy of the July 2020 partnership deal with the Ojibwa Casino & the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC).

Gamblers in the Midwestern U.S. state’s Upper Peninsula and throughout will gain access to various online slots and table games at GoldenNuggetCasino.com and via Android and iOS applications, from 12pm Eastern Standard Time today. The operator will also reportedly offer a Welcome Bonus of up to $1,000, in addition to its popular promotions, such as The Five Million Dollar Race, according to the release.

Scientific Games’ platform:

Golden Nugget will also roll out a new version of its popular online sportsbook, using Scientific Games‘ Open Sports platform. And all new sportsbook customers will be able to take advantage of “up to $250 in Free Bets” as well as its “Golden Lines” daily odds boost, “Notorious VIG”, reduced bet-types, and enhanced parlays with the “Parlay Boost” feature.

Both pre-game and live betting will be available across all US sports leagues as well as a broad selection of international sports.

President for Golden Nugget Online Gaming, Thomas Winter, commented on the launch…

“We are really excited to go live in Michigan and are committed to offering a superior product, flawless execution and world-class player experience like we have done in New Jersey. We’d like to thank our partner, the Ojibwa Casino and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, for their support in introducing our premium online casino and sportsbook in the great state of Michigan.”

Brand strength:

Also commenting, Larry Denomie III, General Manager for Ojibwa Casino, used the press release to add…

“We look forward to our partnership with the Golden Nugget. Their launch highlights our commitment in bringing an exceptional online casino and sportsbook experience to our patrons in Michigan. Working with a strong brand such as Golden Nugget complements our casino offerings in Marquette and Baraga.”

On Tuesday, the MGCB authorized nine operators and their associated platform providers to begin offering online sports betting or both online gaming and sports betting today. They include:

  • Bay Mills Indian Community – DraftKings
  • Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians – William Hill
  • Greektown Casino – Penn Sports Interactive/ Barstool Sportsbook
  • Hannahville Indian Community – TwinSpires
  • Keweenaw Bay Indian Community – Golden Nugget Online Gaming
  • Little River Band of Ottawa Indians – Rush Street
  • MGM Grand Detroit – BetMGM/Roar Digital
  • MotorCity Casino – FanDuel
  • Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians – Wynn

PointsBet launch:

Also joining the fray, global sportsbook operator PointsBet launches its mobile app and digital sports betting product in the Great Lakes State via an exclusive partnership with the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. The new collaboration follows successful launches in New Jersey, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and Colorado.

According to the presser, the two operators will soon unveil the retail offering at the Michigan tribe’s Lac Vieux Desert Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet. 

PointsBet USA Chief Exectuive Officer, Johnny Aitken, said…

“Launching in Michigan is truly a special moment for PointsBet, and presents a tremendous opportunity we are excited to attack alongside our partners in the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

“As always, PointsBet will provide this passionate, sports-loving community with the fastest online sports betting product across every customer touchpoint as well as the most betting options in market for every NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL game. We are thrilled to be on the starting line and be able to immediately introduce Michigan sports bettors to the competitive advantages PointsBet possesses in owning our technology end-to-end, as well as further activate our investments in the state such as the partnerships in place with the Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, and Little Caesars Arena.”

In celebration of the occasion, Michigan residents will be able to take advantage of a special “Make It Rain” launch promotion from PointsBet for the Saturday, January 23 Detroit Pistons game vs the Philadelphia 76rs. Details can be found here.

Decade long dream:

Tribal Chairman James Williams, Jr. added…

“The Tribe worked hard to be among the first to launch mobile sports betting in the State of Michigan and is thrilled to offer innovative betting options to Michigan residents in conjunction with our PointsBet partner.

“Gaming is the cornerstone of our tribal community, funding our tribal government and essential governmental services such as health care, education, law enforcement, cultural and human services as well as providing employment opportunities for tribal members and others.  Harnessing the power of the internet to expand the Tribe’s gaming footprint has been our dream for more than a decade.  The fact that this day has come is long-time in the making.  We are confident that this giant step forward will bring the Tribe closer to its goals of self-sufficiency and will serve to stabilize the Tribal economy for future generations.”

Enabling legislation:

Sports betting and gaming operators had to wait on final approval from the MGCB to go live, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the online gaming law legalizing online casino and sports betting in December 2019. Under the Lawful Sports Betting Act, Michigan online operators had to sit tight until one tribal casino and one commercial casino secured their sports betting license.