DraftKings is one of those great American success stories. Started by friends with a love for sports, the company has grown quickly to become an international giant in sports betting.
Despite making its name in the world of daily fantasy sports (DFS), DraftKings now operates online casino and traditional online sportsbooks in various states. An official partner of the Detroit Pistons, DraftKings’ Michigan online sportsbooks launched in early 2021.
Yes, absolutely! The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) granted DraftKings a license to launch an online sportsbook and casino in January 2020.
Licensed sportsbooks such as DraftKings are required to operate to a high level of transparency, fairness and safety. The introduction of legal online sportsbook in Michigan and its associated taxes have helped to provide a funding boost to, among others, the city of Detroit, the Michigan Agriculture Equine Industry Development Fund, the State School Aid Fund and the Compulsive Gaming Prevention Fund.
If you’re ready to try sports betting in Michigan there’s a choice of welcome bonuses at DraftKings. Here are all the bonus details:
Make your first deposit of $5 or more to receive 20% of your deposited amount (up to a maximum of $1,000) as bonus funds. These funds have a playthrough requirement of x25 and are released in increments, with a 90-day period in which to clear them.
After making your first deposit of $5 or more, select the eligible event you want to bet on via the promotion webpage and hit ‘Boost This Event’. Your money line odds on the event will shoot up to +10,000 odds (100-1)! The maximum bet for this promotion is $1, giving you the chance to win a quick $100 for a $1 bet (with no playthrough requirement on your winnings).
When sports betting online you’ll find that many operators focus promotions on new players, leaving you out in the cold once you’ve grabbed that first welcome offer. Thankfully DraftKings Sportsbook features regular opportunities for existing players to enjoy.
Available for specific games or competitions, a profit boost increases your winnings on successful bets! These are available through a simple opt-in.
Again, a nice and clear promotion that gives you longer odds on a specific bet. This gives you the potential to win much more than someone else making the exact same bet!
Get a personalized mission (for example, bet a certain amount on a certain sport) which rewards you with bonuses or free bets when you complete it.
Get a referral link, send it to your friends and if they deposit at DraftKings you’ll both receive a Free Bet relative to their deposit amount, up to a maximum of $100.
We love betting on sports using DraftKings Sportsbook’s Missions. These give you personalized goals to achieve, but more importantly reward you with bonuses, Free Bets and extra value.
Personalization is also a factor in one of our other favorite features: Pools. These leader boards track performance across certain sports or events, awarding you a share of thousands of dollars if you finish high up the table. The great twist is that you can create your own pools of friends or family to compete against.
This level of personalization, alongside great community features like tips, inside sporting news and detailed ‘How To’ betting guides, gives DraftKings an edge over many of its rivals.
There’s always plenty to do at the DraftKings Sportsbook, but the look and feel of the web product seems a little dated to us. Lots of gray, brown and muted colors can make the site feel a little uninspiring, and a lack of eye-catching visual design results in quite a text-heavy experience. Where are all the graphics, artwork or even videos?
Another quality-of-life improvement we’d like to see is a longer list of accepted payment methods, although most users will probably find an option they can use pretty quickly.
Online sports betting is simple and intuitive on the DraftKings Sportsbook App, available for Android and iOS. You can basically do everything that’s possible on the desktop version, including take part in Pools, and it’s even possible to sign up and get your hands on the Welcome Bonus right from the app itself.
iOS users can find the app on the app store, where it boasts a reputation as the country’s top rated legal gambling app (rated 4.8/5, based on over 200,000 reviews). Android users can download the app directly from the DraftKings website.
All recent models of iPhone or Android device should be compatible, but if you have an older model check with DraftKings’ customer support to see if your device is supported. Support for iPads is not currently available.
In Michigan Sports betting is available in a huge range of different bet types and markets. These vary depending on the sport, but with just a little knowledge you can quickly get to grips with it. Here’s a brief guide.
A ‘market’ is a term for a betting opportunity or category, such as Money Line (i.e. win/loss), Points Scored, Tournament Winner, Run Lines, etc. Every sport, or event, will feature a number of betting markets.
When browsing the DraftKings Sportsbook, simply clicking or tapping on any particular event/outcome adds it to your bet slip. Up to 12 different bets can be added at any one time, and once added you can choose how you want to bet on them. Some popular bet types include:
Singles, or ‘straight bets’ are a simple gamble on one specific event.
A combination of predictions, all of which need to be correct for the bet to win. Parlays can lead to big wins, as the odds of each part of the combination are multiplied.
This wager takes handicapping into account, meaning you can bet on a team or player overperforming versus expectations without them necessarily winning.
The DraftKings Sportsbook site has a great introduction to sports betting, including specific advice for betting on football, hockey, basketball, and much more.
Here’s a quick guide to the most popular sports and betting wagers available at DraftKings Sportsbook. Many are applicable to most sports, but there are a few specifics too.
The Wolverine State has plenty of teams to cheer on, no matter what sports you enjoy.
Basketball fans will be familiar with the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, as well as many college teams in the state including the mighty Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans. Plus, the large number of universities in the state also means there are plenty of other college teams to root for, such as Michigan Tech or North Michigan University.
Fans of football will know all about the Detroit Lions of the NFL, and the state’s Division I football teams again include those of the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans. The Central Michigan Chippewas, the Eastern Michigan Eagles and the Western Michigan Broncos round out the state’s Division I football teams.
Baseball season sees fans head downtown to Comerica Park to cheer on the Detroit Tigers of the MLB, but again Michigan has plenty of Division I college ball going on through the spring and early summer. Those Wolverines and Spartans are present, of course, as are the likes of the Eastern Michigan Eagles and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.
NHL fans in the state will cheer on the Detroit Redwings, but the state is also represented in NCAA Division I ice hockey by the Wolverines, Spartans and Western Michigan Broncos.
If all that wasn’t enough, NCAA Division II features 10 more Michigan-based college teams competing in soccer, football, baseball, softball, basketball and ice hockey.
Michigan truly is a great place to live for sports fans!
Making a deposit and withdrawing your money are both simple and straightforward at DraftKings Sportsbook. While you may have to wait a few days for winnings to be paid (see table below), deposits are instant.
| Deposit | Withdrawal | |||
Payment Method | Minimum / Maximum | Process Time | Minimum / Maximum | Process Time |
| Visa | $5 / $10,000 | Instant | N/A | N/A |
| MasterCard | $5 / $10,000 | Instant | N/A | N/A |
| Paypal | $5 / $10,000 | Instant | NO/ $14,999.99 | 2-8 business days |
| Draft Kings Gift Card | $5 / $10,000 | Instant | N/A | N/A |
| Check | N/A | N/A | NO/ over $2,000 (sent via FedEx Priority Mail) NO/ under $2,000 (sent via standard mail) | Standard Check: 2-3 weeks(under $2000) FedEx Checks: 1-3 business days(over $2,000) |
Withdrawals work just the same way:
When choosing your method of withdrawal, don’t forget to check the processing times as some are much faster than others.
As you’d expect, DraftKings Sportsbook offers a number of convenient ways to contact customer support.
While there is no telephone support provided, customers can use the web form here, 24/7:
https://www.draftkings.com/help/contact-us/sb
Support is also available by email at [email protected]
Sports betting laws can be strict, and being licensed by the MGCB means DraftKings Sportsbook is required to uphold a high standard when it comes to the security of player data and customer deposits, as well as ensuring player interests are protected. For example, making sure that promotions are easy to understand, language used is not confusing, and that the sportsbook pays out every cent its players win.
Another area DraftKings Sportsbook is required to focus on is ensuring only eligible players can take part. For customers, this means several things:
Underage gambling is unacceptable, as is financial fraud, so customers should expect their ID to be checked. Your social security number and several proof of ID/address documents may need to be provided when creating a real money account. It may make the initial sign-up process a tiny bit longer to complete, but it’s worth it to ensure a safe place to play.
The DraftKings Sportsbook MI site is only to be used when located in the state of Michigan. To make sure this law is adhered to, geolocation technology is used whenever a user logs in. This is the case for both the mobile app and the desktop/web client.
The operator also has a responsibility to protect your data, which is why you’ll see a padlock icon in your browser when using the website. This means your data is encrypted and protected.
Finally, all licensed sportsbooks and casinos have a responsibility to protect vulnerable gamblers, so will provide a suite of responsible gaming tools. DraftKings Sportsbook allows users to opt-in to a self-exclusion period, which would prevent all activity on their account for a set amount of time, as well as to set up limits in terms of maximum stakes, deposits, etc.
DraftKings Sportsbook is partnered with the Bay Mills Indian Community and the associated Bay Mills Resort & Casino. It is licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), and regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement in accordance with the Gaming Control Act N.J.S.A. 5:12-1.
DraftKings’ US office is at 222 Berkeley Street, Boston MA 02116.
Now you have all the info you need to make a decision, it’s time to create that account. Hit the ‘Login’ button on-screen followed by the ‘Sign Up’ button, and follow the simple instructions.
Be aware, you will need the following information/documents to hand:
Your driver’s license or state ID will need to be scanned and uploaded. This can be done using the phone you are using to sign up with (if using a mobile), but otherwise will need to be scanned separately and provided as an attachment. Don’t worry: this automated approval process takes place almost instantly.
The sign-up process is the same on the desktop and mobile versions of the site.
Only winnings from DFS can be used in the sportsbook, rather than deposited funds.
Many banks treat DFS differently to online sportsbooks, and will allow transactions to DFS but not casinos or sportsbooks. You may be able to still use your credit card to fund a DraftKings DFS account, but these funds cannot be used in the sportsbook.
Yes, all gambling activity must take place within Michigan state lines, but account management including deposits and withdrawals can be done elsewhere – even in states with no legal online gambling.
Under the ‘Account Settings’ menu you can enable ‘strong authentication’, which sends a security PIN to your mobile device any time you log in. Without the PIN, you will not be able to log in.
A relatively new name on the sports betting scene, DraftKings made a big name for itself very quickly, and this is down to the high quality of its product. Great community features such as sports news, betting guides, bespoke missions and even personalized leader boards help to elevate this above many of its rivals, and really help you to become invested in the platform as a fun place to play.
Having a world-class DFS offering helps too, of course, but even if you’re not a DFS fan there’s more than enough going on in the DraftKings Sportsbook to keep you coming back for your next gamble.
If we’re being critical, we think the playthrough requirement on the welcome bonus is a little on the tricky side, and we’d also like to see a VIP program available to all players (at the moment, VIP membership is strictly by invitation only). More payment options is always a good thing, and while it has no real effect on how the product handles we’d like to see a site design with a little more color, energy and zip!
But overall we love what DraftKings is doing with its Michigan sportsbook, and we think our readers will too. Go give it a try and see what we mean!