Caesars Expands Live-Dealer Offering in Michigan With Branded Studio

The at-home casino experience for Michigan internet gamblers is being expanded by Caesars Entertainment.

On Monday, Caesars declared the opening of their live dealer studio in Michigan.  Caesars-branded table games are now available to Great Lakes State online casino players who use the Caesars Palace, Horseshoe, and Caesars Sportsbook online casinos thanks to a partnership with Evolution AB, the Sweden-based live-dealer leader in regulated online gaming markets worldwide.

Blackjack, roulette, and baccarat tables using Caesars Palace and Tropicana felt are available to Caesars iGaming customers in Michigan.  Additionally, felt co-branded with Caesars' companies and Michigan's professional sports teams, such as the NFL Detroit Lions, will be included by the live-dealer studio.

After launching in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Caesars, a casino business based in Las Vegas, has now opened its third live-dealer table gaming studio in Michigan.

"Our third live-dealer studio expands our fully customized live dealer experience that is already extremely popular in Pennsylvania and New Jersey into another key jurisdiction where our online casino platforms are live,” said Matthew Sunderland, senior vice president and chief iGaming officer at Caesars Digital. “The studio design takes inspiration from our flagship destination, Caesars Palace, to authentically recreate the atmosphere of Las Vegas for online players.”

With the exception of West Virginia, Caesars runs iGaming in four states. 

Live-Dealer Benefits

In July 2021, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) approved live-dealer table games for iGaming platforms that have been granted licenses.  The state's first authorized business-to-business live-dealer provider was Evolution.

Evolution's Southfield studio streams table games online.  DraftKings and FanDuel are just two of the numerous iGaming sites in Michigan that Evolution offers live-dealer services to.  Customers who play online games at Caesars Palace, Horseshoe, and Tropicana now enjoy a branded experience thanks to Caesars' new streaming studio with Evolution.  According to a release from Caesars representatives, a live dealer provides the sounds, banter, and enthusiasm to a player's location that interactive slots and tables cannot.

Through a collaboration with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Horseshoe has an online license in Michigan.  The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is the license holder for Caesars Palace Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook.

A Comprehensive Casino Experience

The Caesars in-person casino experience is brought to the home by Caesars Entertainment's live-dealer studio in Michigan.  Caesars was compelled to sign a revenue-sharing agreement with the aforementioned tribes in order to gain access to the online gaming and sports betting market in Michigan, which has more than 10.1 million residents and only permits three commercial casinos in Detroit.

Caesars' iGaming businesses in Michigan have brought in about $97.1 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR) so far this May.  At $328 million, BetMGM leads the market, although FanDuel is not far behind at $326.1 million.  DraftKings, at $189.9 million, comes in a far third.

Caesars Sportsbook made less than $4.8 million in the first five months of this year from online sports betting.  With a $120 million GGR, FanDuel leads the Michigan online sports betting market.  BetMGM is in third place with $32.3 million, while DraftKings is far behind in second place with $67.4 million.