Online gaming is now live in Michigan, and FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek has plans to introduce a branded app to its retail sportsbook sometime this month.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board approved a launch of those betting apps last month, reported the Battle Creek Enquirer.
“We look forward to carrying over our award-winning casino offering to the online realm, building upon the success of our award-winning casino,” said Jim Wise, vice president of marketing and sports and online gaming. “We appreciate the players who visit FireKeepers, and these guests deserve the same level of rewards and service in the iCasino world.”
Until its mobile app and website are operational, FireKeepers is offering a special bonus of up to $200 in online credit to Red Hot Rewards Club members who are anticipating the start of iGaming, the Enquirer reported.
“We were the first tribal operation to open an on-premises book and now we are a few weeks away from being able to open our iGaming and iCasino options. But what we wanted to do until then, was reward our existing FireKeepers players with this promotion,” Wise said.
Wise said the combination of online gambling and the Dacey’s Sportsbook experience in the casino will keep FireKeepers among the best options for gambling in the state. “What we’ve seen in other states is that this can be a revenue generator without hurting our brick-and-mortar operation. We think we can do all we’re doing and add iGaming and make a fuller experience for our guests.”
And having a local option has FireKeepers believing it will be able to compete with some of the statewide gaming apps that were rolled out over the weekend.
“In some of these cases, people see all these national brands and are not sure which ones they trust. In a couple of weeks, they will see someone local that they know very well and they have visited, like us at Dacey’s Sportsbook, and they will want to give this a try,” Wise said.
“Our on-premises book has gone extremely well, done volumes more than we thought we would since our start in the summer. And that’s a tip to the cap to our people and the service and experience they are making available to our customers.”
