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Kewadin Casinos have become the latest gaming facilities to offer in-person sports betting in the Upper Peninsula.
Players can now place their sports wagers at any of Kewadin’s five locations, including Sault Ste. Marie, St. Ignace, Manistique, Hessel and Christmas, according to the casinos’ website. Kewadin is partnered with WynnBET and offers sports betting on football, basketball, baseball, golf, auto racing, boxing, MMA, hockey and soccer.
Kewadin joins the Island Resort and Casino in Harris offering sports betting in the UP. The Island is partnered with BetAmerica and debuted its sports betting kiosks inside the T.McC’S Sports Bar on Sept. 10.
Each of the Kewadin sports betting kiosks are located near the bar or lounge areas. Here’s a breakdown of where players can find the kiosks and how many are at each location:
- Sault Ste. Marie: Rapids Lounge and Superior Bar (3)
- St. Ignace: Whitetail Sports Bar (2)
- Manistique: Team Spirit Bar (1)
- Christmas: Frosty’s Pub ‘n’ Grub (1)
- Hessel: Bar area (1)
Players can use cash or winning tickets to place their bets. According to Kewadin’s FAQ posted on its website, the maximum payout for single-game bets is $5,000 and will increase to $10,000 for the NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl. The maximum bet also increases with multi-leg parlays.
More on Kewadin and Wynn
In April, Kewadin and GAN announced their partnership, officially making GAN the technology platform provider for Kewadin Casinos. It was Kewadin’s first step toward introducing retail sports betting at each of its locations and set itself up for Michigan’s pending online casino gaming and mobile sports betting launch.
“The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians is excited to take this important step with GAN and our mutual partner to bring both retail sports to our consumers at our five casino locations in short-course, in addition to Internet gaming casino on day-one when first allowed by the state of Michigan,” said Allen Kerridge, Interim CEO of Kewadin Casinos, in a media release. “We chose GAN and our mutual partner based on their market-leading technology and combined substantial experience serving gaming clients both online and offline.”
GAN announced in October that it reached a 10-year agreement with Wynn Resorts to provide iGaming and mobile sports betting in Michigan. GAN and Wynn were one of the 15 providers who received provisional licenses from the Michigan Gaming Control Board last week, setting themselves up to be ready for when Michigan officially launches online gaming throughout the state.
Down the Stretch
Now, the platform providers are in the process of completing additional regulatory requirements. These include independent testing of the platforms and games, as well as the MGCB approval of their internal controls to ensure gaming integrity. Firms must also secure occupational licenses for certain employees.
The licensing and regulatory process is expected to take three to five more weeks, which means players in Michigan can expect an early 2024 launch for online gaming and sports betting.
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