BetMGM has just launched its lottery sit and go (LSNG) game called SPINS in the up and coming Michigan online gaming market. The BetMGM online poker site initially debuted in Michigan back in March, but the SPINS poker format has only made it to the site on October 6, 2021. You can read a review of BetMGM MI for more information on their current offerings.
SPINS is the latest addition to the BetMGM Michigan app which runs on the same premise as the LSNG games offered by PartyPoker. Each tournament game consists of three hands and are generally a winner-takes-all setup. Every player starts with 500 poker chips and blinds increase every three minutes. This ensures players can win large prizes in a relatively short timeframe. The prize pool for each game is randomized and can be anywhere from a 2x up to a 1,200x multiplier of the buy-in price.
On SPINS Michigan, there are four different buy-in options currently available to appeal to as many different types of casino players as possible. These are at $1, $5, $10, and $25. Top prize pools range from $1,000 up to $25,000. Michigan is the second state in the US in which BetMGM has launched its new product following a successful rollout in the Pennsylvania market earlier this year. The Michigan offerings are exactly the same as the SPINS game currently available in PA.
BetMGM may have only launched SPINS in two states so far, but LSNG poker tournaments have been popular among players for some time. The first game of this style was produced in 2013 by Winamax, a leading online poker operator in France. This game style then soured in popularity when adopted by big industry player PokerStars in 2014. Today, this poker format is found on almost every online poker site worldwide, be that regulated US sites, offshore providers, or global poker apps.
The popularity of the SNG poker format makes sense. Bettors loved the chance to win large prizes in a short timeframe with only a small initial buy-in price. The gameplay of SNG tournaments is also well-adapted for mobile use. Since PokerStars launched its first sit and go style game in 2014, the global mobile gaming industry has grown at a rapid rate. This has only further been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic causing in-person casinos to close. This has seen the popularity of sit and go tournaments sour.
Alongside BetMGM, the only other online poker app available in Michigan is PokerStars. The site entered the MI market on January 29, 2021, as the state’s first regulated online poker operator. The company was then the sole provider of online poker for just over a month until BetMGM MI launched in March that year. The two providers are each other’s primary rivals. Competition between the two has been tight, but PokerStars has been the superior online poker site over the past months.
The launch of SPINS in the Michigan market could help improve BetMGM’s offerings and help them gain a larger portion of the market share. However, the PokerStars SNG poker games called Spin & Go are already available in Michigan and have a near identical setup to the SPINS game. Both have buy-ins ranging from $1 to $25, prize pools that reach up to $25,000, and are in a 500 chip format with the blind increasing every three minutes. There are currently no promotions to celebrate the launch of SPINS and win over players, but the BetMGM is expected to launch some SPINS-related offers which could entice players over from PokerStars.
WSOP is the only operator to run other sit and go tournaments in the regulated US market. The company’s successful SNG game is called BLAST. The game is currently live in Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but has yet to enter the MI market. This game differs slightly from the format offered by BetMGM and PokerStars. It has buy-ins from 10c to $30 and players start with a stack of 1,500 chips. Prize pools reach up to a maximum $300,000 thanks to a 10,000x multiplier.
Following the launch of SPINS in Michigan, the only US state with a regulated online poker market that the SPINS game has not yet debuted in is New Jersey. Players from The Garden State shouldn’t be waiting much longer though. BetMGM has indicated it will be introducing the format to all states that can access the BetMGM online poker platform. The company is likely awaiting regulatory approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming before entering the market.
