NFL Betting in Michigan

No sport captures the average sports bettor’s attention like professional football, and the National Football League (NFL) season is already in full swing. Whether you are a first-time user looking for a place to start or a seasoned veteran with hundreds of wagers under your belt, this page can serve as your go-to guide for betting on NFL games in Michigan.

Given its popularity, every operating online sportsbook in the state of Michigan features numerous lines on pro football, including everything from standard spreads and moneylines to player props and futures.

Dive into the information below for everything a sports bettor should know before they place an NFL bet in the Great Lakes State.

Nestled in the heart of Michigan, NFL betting emerges as a focal point, captivating the interest of sports aficionados and betting enthusiasts alike. The Wolverine State offers a dynamic and varied landscape for football betting, creating an engaging environment that caters to a diverse audience. Whether you're a seasoned pro with a deep understanding of the game or a newcomer eager to explore the thrill of NFL wagering, Michigan provides an exciting backdrop for all levels of enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the excitement of football betting.

1. BetMGM Sportsbook

NFL betting in MI: BetMGM quickly has become one of the most prominent names in the sports betting world, and its NFL odds are some of the most competitive in the state. Celebrities like actor Jamie Foxx and former Lions star Barry Sanders are featured regularly in TV ads for BetMGM, and there are daily parlay boosts and custom parlay generators to satisfy all of a user’s unique betting preferences. BetMGM Rewards also can be turned into intriguing prizes and perks with MGM Resorts International.

Welcome bonus: BetMGM’s welcome bonus is one of the best, if not the best, in the state of Michigan. As long as a user places a minimum $10 deposit into their account to start, they are eligible for up to $1,500 in bonus bets if their first wager loses.

BetMGM will give 100% of your first bet back in the form of equal installments of bonus bets until the entire amount re-appears in your account.

Available States: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.

2. DraftKings Sportsbook

NFL betting in MI: DraftKings is one of the NFL’s three sports betting partners, and DK has arguably the most robust offerings of any operator in the state for professional football. There are quite a few NFL-specific promos offered by DK, including profit boosts for nationally-televised games and huge parlay boosts in select games.

Welcome bonus: Bet $5 on any sportsbook market and get up to $200 in bonus bets. These bonus bets will be allocated in the form of 8 $25 bonus bets. These bets must be used within 7 days of them appearing in your account.

Available States: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming

3. FanDuel Sportsbook

NFL betting in MI: Another of the NFL’s official sports betting partners, FanDuel has one of the highest-rated mobile apps in the industry. On the FanDuel site, MI sports bettors can browse through one of the widest varieties of standard offerings of lines and markets on pro football. However, the greatest football-specific feature is the rail with boxes featuring all the various promotions and offers from FanDuel that are NFL-focused.

Welcome bonus: Place your first NFL wager with FanDuel up to $1,000, and if it loses your money will be refunded in the form of bonus bets. If the initial bet wins, the user gets their money back plus their winnings.

Available states: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming

4. Caesars Sportsbook

NFL betting in MI: Caesars knows the NFL reigns supreme in the U.S. sports betting market, and it attempts to keep its promos and offers focused on football during the season. In addition to a very strong welcome bonus, Caesars Rewards is one of the best perk programs in the industry.

Welcome bonus: If your first NFL bet with Caesars loses, the company will give you a refund on that initial wager up to $1,000. The bonus bet will come in one installment and should appear within your account no more than 2 days after your bet loses.

Available states: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming

5. PointsBet Sportsbook

NFL betting in MI: PointsBet is a smaller company and is newer to the U.S. sports betting space, but was recently bought by one of the largest sports companies in the world, Fanatics. Given Fanatics’ extensive partnerships with the NFL, PointsBet’s already highly lucrative NFL parlays and lines should continue to improve in the coming years. There already are Same Game Parlays from analysts and custom odds boosts for major events like Thursday and Sunday Night Football.

Welcome bonus: Users can get up to $1,000 back on their first 10 bets, with a few terms and conditions. For this promotion, a user must make at least one cash bet on 10 consecutive days straight. If any of these first bets on a particular day loses, PointsBet will refund that bet up to $100. So if your first bet of each of the 10 days was $100 and you lost every single one, you would end up with the maximum $1,000.

Available states: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia

6. Golden Nugget Sportsbook

NFL betting in MI: Golden Nugget is one of the oldest and most reputable brands in the U.S. gaming scene. Its NFL Golden Lines are custom parlays with boosted odds designed to generate high payouts for users.

Welcome bonus: Golden Nugget’s welcome bonus stands out in Michigan because it will be conveyed to the user, regardless of whether their first bet wins or loses. Golden Nugget will match your first bet up to $250 with a bonus bet, regardless of the result.

Available states: Arizona, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

7. Sports Illustrated Sportsbook

NFL betting in MI: For a lesser-known operator, SI Sportsbook has quite a few NFL promotions that will intrigue Michiganders. Not only are there bonus bets available for weekend football games as well as Thursday Night and Monday Night Football, but SI’s Perfect 10 offers customers the chance to win up to $10,000 weekly if they can correctly predict the spread for 10 NFL games.

Welcome bonus: SI Sportsbook users can get up to $200 in bonus bets if their first bet of at least $20 is successful. The bet must have minimum odds and the bonus will be conveyed in 8 $25 bonus bets.

Available states: Colorado, Michigan, Virginia

8. BetRivers Sportsbook

NFL betting in MI: BetRivers offers up pre-selected parlays for NFL games, and also has First Touchdown and select parlay insurance available. These insurance perks allow for a user to get some money back if, for example, they choose someone to score the first touchdown and they end up scoring but just later in the game.

Welcome bonus: BetRivers offers a second chance bet of up to $500. If your first bet loses, BetRivers will reward a user with a bonus bet in the amount of that first wager up to $500. One differentiating feature with BetRivers is that there are no minimum odds to be eligible for the bonus bet.

Available states: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia

Now that you’ve looked over the best websites to peruse for NFL betting odds, it's time to get started by setting up your free account. Each operator above has a slightly different process, but they all have core aspects that align across the board. All sportsbooks are required to verify your location through geolocation data in order to ensure you are eligible.

As you dive in, here are four main steps to understand through the sign-up process.

1. Register: To create your account, find your designated operator’s “sign-up” or “create account” link. Follow the on-screen prompts and punch in the required personal information for that sportsbook, which generally includes full legal name, street address, email and birth date. Some sportsbooks might have special offers available with promo codes, which oftentimes must be entered during registration.
2. Deposit: In order to place your first wager at a sportsbook, your account must be loaded with some money. Most sportsbooks have a deposit minimum, which isn’t often more than $10-20. The variety of banking options depends on which sportsbook you choose, but most accept debit/credit card, PayPal, and online banking.
3. Place bet: With your account funded, the opportunity to place your first bet has arrived. As you comb through the various NFL markets and lines, any selected options will appear in what is called your “bet slip.” Once you have added all your chosen wagers, there should be a confirmation button. The bet slip should display your potential winnings for each bet.
4. Withdrawing money: Whenever you decide you’d like to transfer your money into another account, sportsbooks offer at least a few different banking options depending on your chosen operator. Most often, your deposit method will be your default withdrawal option unless it is unavailable with a provider for a specific reason.

There are a number of different ways to answer the question, but it truly depends on the individual and what they value most when it comes to the sports betting experience. There are a number of characteristics, however, that are found with just about all of the major operators in MI sports betting and around the nation. Here are some of the things to watch out for when deciding on a sportsbook.

• Transparency: We see some sportsbook operators put out promotions and bonuses with so many terms and conditions or not easily feature some of their important rules and regulations. The best sportsbooks out there don’t try to finesse their customers and will lay out everything in a digestible fashion.
• Trusted banking options: There are some standard deposit and withdrawal options that most of the major Michigan online sportsbooks utilize. Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and ACH transfers are available with most of the sportsbook operators in the state, and are a good sign your money will go where it is intended to.
• Profitable odds: Of course, every user wants to come out ahead with their bets, so making a profit is key. Some books regularly offer more competitive odds for MI sports bettors, which can make them stand out among the field. Finding the best price on a big event is one of the most important aspects of a winning sports betting strategy.
• Broad bet menu: The sportsbooks that draw in the most users with enticing promotions, bonuses and a varied selection of markets are where you should focus your attention. With so much competition in the industry, take advantage of the various methods sportsbooks will use to attract your business.
• In-game wagers: No sport in the U.S. attracts more live betting than the NFL, which gets more eyeballs on it than any other in the country. The best sportsbooks will have regularly updating live betting odds so those who want to keep the action going throughout the day can do so. A select number of operators even have live streaming right in their app to augment the live betting experience.
• Customer support: No matter how strong the company is, every sportsbook runs into issues at times. Especially during big events when the amount of users ratchets up, servers can be affected and load times along with other features can be affected. Most sportsbooks have near 24/7 live support, and with most major sporting events happening outside of normal business hours, you’ll want your problem solved instantly rather than waiting until the following morning or even the following Monday.
• Mobile app effectiveness: So many people bet primarily from their mobile devices these days, and users will want to have an application that is reliable and doesn’t crash too often. Even if you are not in front of a computer, you should still be able to do everything at the same ability from your iPhone or Android device.

As lines change constantly, bettors need to stay up to date with the latest information. Follow along with the latest NFL odds in order to make the best possible decision on whatever event you choose.

NFL Futures: Super Bowl 58 Odds

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs began the 2023 NFL season as the Super Bowl favorites after winning over the Philadelphia Eagles last season. As the season wears on, the odds will adjust and tick up or down depending on a team’s performance as well as injuries and other news.

Detroit Lions fans have plenty of reasons to be confident in their squad, and Michiganders are still getting great odds on the franchise winning its first-ever Super Bowl in Las Vegas come February 2024.

For NFL games, there are a wide array of wagers that can be placed. We will explain some of the most basic and standard options below, but more and more sportsbooks are innovating new markets each season, so check back here as this page will be updated.

• Moneyline: The simplest type of bet, choosing a moneyline is simply picking which team will win a particular game. If you like the Detroit Lions to defeat the Tennessee Titans on a particular Sunday, you could simply place a moneyline bet and would win if the Lions win. Simple.
• Point spread: The most common bet type, betting the spread is choosing a team with a designated handicap chosen by the sportsbook. For instance, let's consider a game between the Lions and the Packers. In this scenario, the consensus expectation is that Detroit is highly likely to secure a comfortable victory. As a result, the spread for this game could be expressed as Detroit (-7). If you were to choose the Lions, it would imply that you anticipate Detroit winning by a margin of at least 7 points. Conversely, selecting the Packers would mean that you're banking on Green Bay either not losing by more than 7 points or even winning the game.
• Over/under (totals): Sports bettors can put their money behind the total number of points they expect to be scored between the two teams in a game. A Lions-Packers game might have a total of 49.5, meaning a 27-24 Lions win (51 total points) would be over the total while a 20-14 win (34 points total) would be an under.
• Parlays: Users can combine multiple bets into a single wager that features elevated odds. These bets come with increased risk, however, as a loss on any one of the legs in your parlay will make it a losing parlay. However, hitting on every piece of a parlay can result in exponential winnings depending on the size and selected result.
• Props: Putting money down on specific player accomplishments or events that happen over the course of a game. If you are confident in Jahmyr Gibbs rushing for over 100 yards and scoring a touchdown in a particular game, put money down on a prop bet for Gibbs.
• Futures: As opposed to betting on the Lions’ upcoming game, MI sports bettors can wager on the outcome of the full season. Some examples are which team will win the Super Bowl or which player will bring home the NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at season’s end.

Some of the league’s most recognizable faces changed uniforms in the offseason ahead of the 2023 campaign. Aaron Rodgers departed Green Bay after almost two decades with the organization and took his talents to the New York Jets. Derek Carr also left Las Vegas after a rough 2022 and found himself a new team in New Orleans with the Saints.

Tom Brady’s historic NFL career also finally wrapped up as he announced his retirement. Brady already has begun his next chapter with the league as he gets set to join Fox’s broadcast crew and has spoken with the Raiders about potentially becoming a minority investor in the future.

The Miami Dolphins also made some history early in the year, putting up a shocking 70 points on the porous Denver Broncos defense behind quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and elite wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

2023 NFL Draft

As has become customary in the league, three of the first four selections in this year’s draft were quarterbacks. Alabama’s Bryce Young went to the Carolina Panthers, who traded with the Chicago Bears to secure the No. 1 overall pick. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud was taken 2nd overall and has looked the most polished to date of the rookie quarterbacks. Florida’s Anthony Richardson went fourth overall and had a strong start to the season but was sidelined for the season after multiple injuries.

Georgia’s Jalen Carter, the best player on the best defense in college football the last two years, fell to No. 10 overall due to some off-field concerns. He landed with the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, adding to an embarrassment of riches on the team’s defense. 

Jahmyr Gibbs was the Lions’ pick at No. 12 overall out of Alabama, and he has burst onto the scene to become the most exciting player in Detroit’s backfield.

NFL running back grievances

Football has changed dramatically in recent years towards much more of a pass-focused game, making running backs significantly less valuable than they used to be. Players like Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley would have commanded massive contract extensions in the past, but the injury rate at the position led both to enter 2023 without new deals.

There were rumors that top players at the position had meetings where they discussed how they can turn the tide of the perceived value of running backs. Of course, players like Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara who double as great pass-catchers still were able to earn very lucrative contracts in recent years.

2023 NFL Season key dates

The NFL has become a year-round sport in the U.S. with so much attention focused on it at all times. See the list below for a summary of the most impactful days on the NFL calendar each year.

• Free Agency: Began March 15, 2023, although players can be signed at any other time to the roster with some exceptions.
• NFL Draft: Was held April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Training camp opens: Full rosters had to report by July 25 for each team.
• Preseason: Annually, the NFL begins the preseason with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. This is where the sport’s Hall of Fame resides. This season was between the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets on Oct. 3.
• Week 1: The regular season began on Sept. 6 with a highly-anticipated matchup between the Lions and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
• NFL playoffs: The best team in each conference gets a bye into the postseason, but the rest of the qualifiers have to square off on Wild Card Weekend. After that, the divisional round is held the following weekend with the remaining teams. Following that week, the field gets whittled down to 2 teams in each conference for Conference Championship Week.
• Super Bowl LVIII: This season’s Super Bowl will be held for the first time in Sin City at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Residents in the Great Lakes State have one NFL team to rally around in the Detroit Lions. One of the most wagered-on teams entering the 2023 NFL season, the Lions have a lot of backers after a strong season from head coach Dan Campbell and quarterback Jared Goff. Especially with Aaron Rodgers no longer dominating the NFC North, the Lions have a strong chance to secure a playoff position and even compete for a Super Bowl.

Aidan Hutchinson has continued to develop into one of the better defensive linemen in the NFL after being a top draft choice out of the University of Michigan. Jahmyr Gibbs also has burst onto the scene in his rookie season from the Lions’ backfield, adding yet another weapon to the roster.

The Lions have won four NFL championships, but remain the only franchise in the league that has been around for the entirety of the Super Bowl era but has not appeared in one.

On the topic of lines, let’s quickly clarify the difference between lines and odds. The lines are what each sportsbook puts on a game, such as Detroit (-2) or Lions-Packers O/U 45. The odds are what determine how much a user stands to win, like -115 or +225.

Most sportsbooks will have very similar if not identical odds, at least at the beginning of an NFL week, but there will be small disparities between all of the operators in Michigan. These small differences can mean the difference between substantial winnings for volume bettors, so ensure you’re scoping out which sportsbook offers the most bang for your buck.

Line movements

With the structure of the NFL season, initial odds are almost always available by the end of the previous week’s games and sometimes are even first set in advance of a specific week. From there, lines are often dynamically adjusted throughout the week leading up to the games, with each sportsbook taking a slightly different approach.

Here are two of the main reasons why a market will adjust over the course of a week.

1. Market pressure

How sportsbooks generate a profit is very simple: they set the lines to do their best to get an even amount of money to be wagered on each side of a specific NFL matchup. For example, an expectedly close matchup like Packers-Lions might only need a spread of -3 since many will be wagering on one side or the other. A more lopsided matchup (take this year’s Denver Broncos-Miami Dolphins game) might find it more difficult to convince people to put money behind the underdog. Therefore, the line might end up being wider so people are more enticed to invest.

Over the week, if one side is seeing a lot more of the action, sportsbooks will often take notice of that and adjust the lines accordingly to that side, trying to encourage wagers on the other. Sportsbooks also keep tabs on their most successful and biggest volume bettors, and some of those individuals can make lines move just by putting their money into it.

2. League/matchup news

Take a second to think about why a matchup might have the odds it does. Was there a major injury in the previous game or during the week of practice that is affecting a top player like a quarterback or an offensive lineman? Or does the weather report show a blizzard is headed to Lambeau Field for the upcoming Lions-Packers game?

These types of real-world factors will always be taken into account on the betting lines. One more aspect of this to keep in mind is whether a team is home or away. It is very difficult to win on the road in the NFL, and a good rule of thumb is that generally sportsbooks give 3 points to a home team in most circumstances, even if they are the underdog. For example, if the Jaguars are an inferior team to the Lions, they might be a +6 in a given matchup. But if the game is in Jacksonville as opposed to Detroit, the line might be +3 just by nature of the Jags playing in their home building in front of their fans.

With so much information constantly flying around in the sports betting world, it is hard to know what to focus on when getting started with wagering on the NFL. Here are three easy things to keep in mind when placing your first NFL wagers.

• Research the lines and shop around: Keep a keen eye out for the best available price on whichever game or market you would like to place a bet on. Every online sportsbook in Michigan will have NFL odds, but some will offer more potential winnings on the same event than others.
• Don’t be swayed by the public: Oftentimes a team or league will end up drawing a significantly higher portion of bets for no on-field reason, such as the Kansas City Chiefs now that Taylor Swift has gotten close with tight end Travis Kelce. If you see a line being pushed one way or the other when there isn’t a competitive reason why, take advantage and go against the grain to set yourself up for sizable winnings.
• Don’t overthink: There are people out there who do hours and hours of research and still end up losing all of their bets. Favorites are the favorites in games for a reason, so don’t be afraid to trust your gut instead of trying to outsmart the experts. More often than not, a favorite is going to emerge victorious.

No bettor is perfect. Every single user from the least to the most experienced will end up on the losing end of wagers at some point. It can be just a matter of luck or a random act of fate, but some bettors do make preventable mistakes that keep them from being profitable. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid as you start your NFL betting journey in Michigan.

1. Don’t chase losses

When a user has had a run of tough losses, there is a natural instinct to want to try and bet even larger to get back to a profit. Similarly, an NFL team might try to push the tempo if they fall behind early by a few scores, wanting to rally back as quickly as possible while inherently taking more risks.

Establish an amount you are willing to spend in a given NFL week, make your selections, and don’t allow yourself to emotionally react to whichever way the chips might fall on Sunday.

2. Don’t place a wager without due diligence

Just like a stock broker wouldn’t suggest someone to purchase a piece of a company without first reading up on it and what the brand is all about, a sports bettor would tell you to never place a sports bet in MI without looking closer at the lines and the matchup. We’ve stressed the importance of research repeatedly on this page, but it bears mentioning once again as more and more new users are wading into these waters each day.

Vibes or simply taking someone else’s word for it are not enough, look into each bet you place so you can be confident in whatever you put your money behind.

3. Find your ideal market

With the seemingly endless amount of markets available for NFL games in Michigan sports betting, make sure to think about where you have performed the best and what you are most comfortable putting your money on.

If you’ve found success with point spread bets, focus on finding the best point spread lines and odds on NFL games. If you’re best at over/under bets, key in on game totals in each NFL week. Don’t get sucked in by every promo and offer across the state as you don’t want to spread your money too thin.

The arrival of NFL football is among the most celebrated unofficial holidays in the U.S. After months of no gridiron action, pro football roars back in a big way and brings with it millions and millions of dollars in wagers.

Check out some of the most popular weeks for NFL sports bettors in MI.

• NFL Season Kickoff: The first regular season game of the year gets promoted aggressively for weeks leading up to the big night. Often featuring the defending Super Bowl champions and another strong team or one that brings intriguing storylines with it. The 2023 season opener was a battle between the Chiefs and the Lions, who were a sneaky playoff pick for many hardcore sports bettors.
• NFL Thanksgiving Day Games: Annually, the NFL schedules a trio of games for Thanksgiving. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are the two teams who have traditionally hosted one of the three games each. The third game rotates, but typically is a matchup between two strong teams. In 2023, the fierce rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will be the Thanksgiving nightcap.
• NFL Playoffs: Recent expansion has given sports bettors even more opportunities to cash in. There is Wild Card Weekend, the Divisional Round, Conference Championships and of course the Super Bowl.
• Super Bowl LVIII: The single biggest annual sports event in the U.S., the amount of bets on this year’s Super Bowl should be exponentially higher given that the game is being played in Las Vegas. Prop bets are available in droves for the Super Bowl, along with all sorts of alternate lines and other unique wagers.

Check out our table below for an easily digestible summary of the most need-to-know info.

There is a litany of ways to both watch and stream NFL games over the course of the season. For fans looking to watch their favorite teams’ out-of-market games, YouTube TV took over as the official provider of NFL Sunday Ticket.

Michiganders can stream Thursday Night Football games exclusively on Amazon Prime beginning in 2023. Sunday Night Football can be streamed with Peacock or watched live on TV through NBC. Monday Night Football of course is available on ABC and ESPN along with some alternate feeds on ESPN+.

100% yes, it is! Pro football is far and away the most popular sport for Michiganders to bet on, with each and every operating sportsbook featuring a wide variety of NFL bets.

Online sports betting launched in the state in January 2021, after Governor Gretchen Wilmer signed a bill into law in December 2019. There are currently 15 online sportsbook operators where those 21 and over can legally sign up and place wagers.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) is the governing body of sports betting in the state, and they ensure the industry is regulated in the Great Lakes State.