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Hard Rock Bet Launches In Michigan

Bob Duff
Bob Duff Legal Betting Specialist
Fact checked by:
Mike Goodpaster
Published 04/12/2025 Add betting.net™ as a preferred source.
Key Points
  • Hard Rock Bet has launched an online sports betting platform in Michigan
  • The site is partnering with the Hannahville Indian Community
  • Hard Rock Bet is the 12th licensed online sportsbook operating in Michigan

It would be fair to suggest that Michigan’s Hannahville Indian Community has felt like they were stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to finding a reliable online sports betting partner. The tribe is hopeful that it will be third-time lucky in their latest partnership deal with Hard Rock Bet.

hard rock

Hard Rock Bet launched an online sports betting platform in Michigan this week, forming an operating partnership with the Hannahville Indian Community, a tribe located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The site went live on December 2, fully licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB).

“This approval reflects our continued focus on maintaining integrity, transparency, and consumer protection in Michigan’s online gaming and sports betting space,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said in a statement.

“We look forward to seeing the Hannahville Indian Community and Hard Rock provide a safe, responsible, and enjoyable wagering experience for players across the state — and especially for those served by one of Michigan’s long-standing tribal gaming operators in the Upper Peninsula.”

Hard luck for the Hannahville in their search for an online partnership

Hard Rock Bet will be the third online sports betting platform to set up shop in Michigan in a partnership with the Hannahville Indian Community. Operators of the Island Resort & Casino, the tribe originally paired with Twin Spires, an online sports betting site operated by the famous horse racing track Churchill Downs. Twin Spires ceased sports betting operations in 2022. When that site shut down, the Hannahville Indian Community turned to 888 Holdings as its new sports betting partner. They were the operators of SI Sportsbook. That site opted out of the Michigan market in the first quarter of 2025.

Hard Rock Bet, on the other hand, appears to be in the mood for expansion. The company was granted MGCB approval to take over the vacated 888 Holdings license. Michigan will be the 10th state to offer Hard Rock Bet’s sportsbook, and the second to provide access to the Hard Rock Bet online casino.

“This expansion represents a major milestone for Hard Rock Bet and reinforces our ascent as one of the fastest-growing digital gaming brands in the United States,” Marlon Goldstein, Executive Managing Director-CEO of Hard Rock Digital, said in a press release announcing the launch. “Our launch in Michigan builds on our momentum.”

Hard Rock Bet launched online sports betting in Colorado earlier this year. The company also has a sports betting presence in Florida, Arizona, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. Hard Rock Bet operates both an online sportsbook and an online casino platform in New Jersey.

Michigan’s online sports betting licenses are nearly full

Michigan’s dance card is almost full when it comes to online sports betting licenses. Hard Rock Bet is the 12th sports betting site now operating in the Great Lakes State. Michigan has just 13 online sports betting licenses available, so one remains up for grabs.

Other online sportsbooks operating in Michigan include BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetRivers, Caesars, Fanatics, theScore Bet, Eagle Casino & Sports, FireKeepers, Four Winds, and Play Gun Lake (Parx).

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