Betting and igaming operator Rush Street Interactive (RSI) has revealed National Football League (NFL) conference championship games were responsible for 39% of online sports betting handle during its first weekend of online wagering and igaming in Michigan.
RSI was one of a number of operators to go live in the state when its regulated online markets opened on January 22.
Operating via its BetRivers.com brand, RSI said that the NFL National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game was the most wagered on event in the state, followed by the NFL’s American Football Conference (AFC) Championship Game.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Green Pay Packers 31-26 in the NFC final to reach the Super Bowl, where they will meet AFC champion the Kansas City Chiefs, which saw off the Buffalo Bills 38-24.
Elsewhere, despite Michigan and Michigan State’s basketball programs being paused due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), college basketball was the second-most wagered-on sport of the opening weekend.
The Detroit Pistons were the most popular National Basketball Association team to bet on, followed by the Phoenix Suns.
In terms of online gambling, blackjack was the most popular casino game, while table games responsible for 39% of total casino handle. RSI also said 88 Fortunes was the most popular slot game, with 10% of total slot handle.
“We are thrilled to see our BetRivers.com site live in the booming Michigan market and this first weekend proved to us that there is a huge appetite for online casino and sports betting,” BetRivers.com president Richard Schwartz said.
“We believe our new Michigan customers enjoyed the convenience of wagering on an exciting array of online casino games and sporting events, safely from their mobile devices and computers, on the fun and easy-to-use BetRivers.com platform.”