The Most Recent 2026 theScore Bet Michigan Review

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The Final Score, Up Front

Short version first, detail after.

The one-line take

Good app, trusted owner, solid games, but the catalogue is mid-sized, payouts can lag, and PENN puts its weight behind Hollywood Casino instead.

What works

• Sports and casino share one account, balance, and login on a fast, well-built app
• PENN Entertainment owns it, and PENN Play rewards stretch across dozens of properties
• The games are the proven Hollywood Casino set, including a strong Evolution live floor
• New players get up to $500 back on early losses, plus as many as 300 spins
• Transactions are encrypted, and you can switch on multi-factor login

What does not

• Around 500 titles, which is modest next to Michigan's biggest rooms
• Several players say withdrawals arrive slower than at rival apps
• This is PENN's second-string casino brand, behind Hollywood Casino
• Bonus money lands as credits with a tight clock and a list of excluded games
• Our full terms breakdown is not ready yet

Key facts

The Full Box Score

All eight pillars are scored below. We grade it the Jackpot Sounds way: eight pillars, each marked from 1 to 5, rolled into a single number. The method behind it lives in our reviewing methodology. For now, theScore Bet Michigan lands at 3.7 out of 5.

Where theScore Sits on the Michigan Table

Michigan's online casino scene is busy and keeps breaking its own revenue records.

Drop theScore into that crowd, and it reads as an upper-middle option. The platform underneath is strong and the games come straight from Hollywood Casino, but three things keep it off the podium. Browse the full Michigan online casino list, and the gap is easy to spot.

Those three drags, in plain terms:

• The library is mid-sized rather than huge.
• Payouts can run slow, by several players' accounts.
• PENN spends its casino energy on Hollywood, not theScore.

Who should look hardest at it? Anyone already betting sports on theScore Bet. Folding casino play into the same wallet and verification is the real selling point. Pure slot hunters chasing the largest rooms will feel the catalogue limit faster.

theScore Against the Michigan Roster

Four rivals sit alongside theScore below. The same four appear in every comparison table in this review, so nothing shifts under you from one table to the next.

Every Expert Score shown is our own, set by one consistent method.

Read the row for theScore, and the picture is clear: it beats Caesars Palace, Horseshoe, and Eagle on score, yet sits a step under BetMGM.

As for withdrawals, it is quicker than Eagle and roughly level with the Caesars-family pair, but it cannot match the instant e-wallet payouts that the top names manage.

Reading the Standings

Set the field's midpoint near 3.5. theScore's final 3.6 still lands above that line.

It clears Caesars Palace (3.3), Horseshoe (3.2), and Eagle (3.4) with room to spare, and trails BetMGM (3.8) by two tenths. The ceiling is set by catalogue size and theScore's junior role inside PENN, not by anything broken.

Strong Plays and Weak Spots

Where theScore gains ground, and where it gives it back:

• App and integration. Built by a sports-media company, the app is quick and tidy, and the casino sits one tap from the sportsbook.
• Loyalty. PENN Play points cash out across dozens of PENN venues, with cruise and hotel partners attached.
• Game content. Quality is high since it borrows the Hollywood library, but roughly 500 titles are short of the market's biggest rooms.
• Payout pace. Method choice is wide, yet several players report slower cash-outs than at rival apps.
• Brand priority. PENN points its casino investment at Hollywood, so theScore tends to follow rather than lead.

Pre-Game: Licensing and Ownership

Start with who is behind it. theScore Casino answers to the Michigan Gaming Control Board, and it reaches the state through PENN's land-based property, Hollywood Casino at Greektown in Detroit. The regulator's rules and its licensee register are laid out on our Michigan Gaming Control Board page.

The owner is PENN Entertainment, a Nasdaq-listed company that runs casinos, tracks, and online betting in 28 North American jurisdictions.

The technology comes from Score Media and Gaming Inc., the Toronto sports-media firm PENN bought in 2021. Its stack now powers PENN's betting and casino platform. In the US, PENN ships that casino content as Hollywood Casino, both as its own app and inside theScore Bet, across Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

A quick history helps explain the brand:

• It went live in Michigan during 2023 under the ESPN BET name.
• PENN and ESPN ended their deal, and the app became theScore Bet in December 2025.
• Accounts, balances, licences, and the platform all carried over untouched.

We found no Michigan enforcement actions against the casino. Access stays inside the state, you must be 21 or older, and geolocation runs at login.

Is theScore Casino Safe in Michigan?

Trust & Safety score: 4.5 / 5

Safety is the easiest box to tick here.

PENN Entertainment, a public company operating in 28 jurisdictions, stands behind the brand through Score Media and Gaming, the firm that built theScore app. The Michigan licence runs via the MGCB and PENN's Greektown access, on the same audited platform that powers Hollywood Casino.

The December 2025 switch from ESPN BET changed the badge and the colours, nothing more. Ownership, licensing, and player accounts all stayed put.

Encryption and Fair Play

On the security side, the platform encrypts your data and lets you add multi-factor login, with Michigan's geolocation checks running throughout.

Games sit on certified software and tested random number generators. Because PENN reports to several state regulators at once, its controls get checked from more than one direction. Verification follows the usual ID and payment-method routine.

Verdict, Trust & Safety (4.5/5). A public company owner, licenses in several states, a platform with years on the clock, and an optional two-factor login leave little to flag. The single asterisk is that this is the smaller of PENN's two Michigan casino brands, not a safety concern at all. That earns one of the higher trust marks on our board.

The Fine Print, Graded

Terms & Conditions score: 3.3 / 5

T&C audit date: June 19, 2026

The audit covers theScore Bet's US Terms of Use, run by Penn Sports Interactive under PENN Entertainment, plus the responsible-gaming and dispute pages they point to. Below, we provide our analysis of the T&C document. For your convenience, we divide it into several sections.

Banking and Payout Clauses

The terms aim to settle withdrawals inside five calendar days. That is slow for Michigan, and it squares with the lukewarm payout reports elsewhere in this review.

• No minimum withdrawal is named anywhere in the terms.
• Daily payout caps are pushed off to a separate Betting Rules document.
• A card chargeback costs $50, and one that reaches pre-arbitration adds a steep $500 on top.

Identity checks can hit at sign-up, on a withdrawal, when you land a jackpot, or whenever PSI decides, and you may have to prove you own the account receiving the cash.

Bonus, Dormancy, and Account Clauses

Bonus mechanics and any banned games are handed to the Special Rules and to each promotion, so the master terms stay thin on detail.

• Abuse voids winnings: collusion, bots, duplicate accounts, and loophole-hunting are all named.
• Leave the account idle and it drops out of promotions; unclaimed balances can be forfeited, and bonus winnings disappear if you never deposit within 30 days of signing up.
• The Michigan dormancy clock itself is not in these terms; it sits in the separate Jurisdiction Terms.

Self-exclusion is open at any time, and a cashable balance of a dollar or more comes back to you when you use it.

Fair and Clear?

Two things drag on the grade. Transparency is the first: too many key figures sit in outside documents, so the master terms alone never show the whole picture.

House-leaning clauses are the second, from the $500 pre-arbitration fee to broad sole-discretion powers to void wagers, cap bonuses, or close accounts.

On the credit side, the abuse, void, and termination grounds are listed plainly, the dispute path is mapped out (email support first, then AAA arbitration after a 30-day cool-off, with the regulator as a backstop), and protections such as self-exclusion are concrete.

Verdict, Terms & Conditions (3.3/5). The terms are tidy and the protection and dispute steps are clear, but heavy reliance on outside documents, a slow five-day payout target, and a few house-leaning clauses such as the $500 pre-arbitration fee hold this just under the middle.

The Welcome Lineup

Bonus intelligence score: 3.5 / 5

In Michigan, theScore's online casino runs under the Hollywood Casino brand (both are PENN). The casino welcome below is Hollywood's offer.

New players meet a two-part welcome, with a rotating extra on top. No code is needed; you sign up, wager from your cash balance, and the offers switch on.

The current set:

• New Player Insurance. Lose money across your first 24 hours of eligible play and theScore refunds all of it in credits, to a $500 ceiling.
• New Player Bet & Get. A $5 cash wager unlocks 30 spins, and daily Click & Collect logins stack that toward 300 spins over nine days.
• Game of the Week. A rotating task, such as 25 cash wagers of $1 or more on Xiao Fu Bao 2 for 10 spins, repeatable up to five times.

The Loss-Back and Spins, Broken Down

The refund is the kinder half. Play eligible games for 24 hours, finish behind, and the net loss returns as credits up to $500.

Roulette, baccarat, craps, live tables, War, and First Person Dragon Tiger sit outside it. The spins drip onto titles such as 10001 Nights, 777 Strike, and Cash Volt.

Here is the run of play:

1. Open an account, pass verification, and confirm you are 21 or older in Michigan.
2. Make your first cash wager on an eligible game to start the 24-hour refund clock.
3. Put $5 in cash through to claim the opening 30 spins.
4. Log back in after 10 AM each day for nine days to gather the rest, up to 300.
5. Spend any credits and spin winnings before their window shuts.

Playthrough and the Clock

The good news is light playthrough, the same low bar PENN uses on Hollywood Casino.

The trade-off is shape and timing. The refund pays as site credits rather than cash, and both the credits and spin winnings run on a short clock. That suits frequent players more than the occasional visitor.

Any bonus money stays locked until the playthrough clears; clear it and the winnings are yours to take out.

What Counts and What's Benched

Two limits matter most:

• The refund ignores roulette, baccarat, craps, live dealer, War, and First Person Dragon Tiger, so table and live fans gain less from it.
• Bet & Get spins lock to set slots, not the whole shelf.

Check each promotion's game list before you opt in, since it can change.

Are the Bonus Terms Clear?

Disclosure is fine. The steps, the 24-hour window, the $500 cap, the excluded games, and the cash-wager rule are all spelled out.

The weakness is design, not secrecy: a credits reward on a short clock, with a bench-games list, rewards engaged players, and leaves table specialists with the least.

Bonus terms across the same four rivals

Verdict, Bonus Intelligence (3.5/5). The $500 refund is friendly, the playthrough is low, the 300 spins add up, and there is a weekly task to keep regulars busy. Against that, the reward arrives as credits on a tight clock, and table and live players are mostly shut out. It nets out at the middle of the pack.

Banking, Start to Finish

Banking & withdrawals score: 3.5 / 5

Loading Your Account

Deposits run through the same PENN cashier as Hollywood Casino, so the menu is broad, and the floor is $10.

No operator fee applies on the way in, and the usual cards, wallets, and bank routes are all here.

Taking Money Out

Most deposit methods double as payout methods, and $10 is again the floor.

Speed is the sticking point. The choice is wide, but a number of players report theScore payouts trailing rival apps, sometimes not showing until the next day even on small sums. Cash-outs return to a verified method, and card or bank routes lag the wallets.

Fees, Limits, and Tax Notes

theScore takes no cut of a withdrawal, though your bank or wallet still might.

Limits sit high, and a first or large cash-out can take longer while checks finish. Big wins bring the standard federal tax forms, so keep your own record of the larger ones.

How Fast the Payout Lands

By method, it reads good-but-not-instant, which is the line between theScore and the fastest names:

Lined up against the same four rivals, theScore is mid-pack on speed: ahead of the slowest, behind the quickest.

Clearing ID Checks

Expect verification at sign-up and before a first withdrawal: a government ID and proof of address.

If you already bet sports on theScore Bet, that check carries across, which saves a step. Get it done early and your first cash-out will not stall on paperwork.

Verdict, Banking & Withdrawals (3.5/5). Plenty of methods, no operator fees, $10 minimums, and verification shared with the sportsbook all count in its favour. The drag is speed: wallets land within a day rather than instantly, cards and bank routes take several, and player reports lean slow. That keeps a strong cashier just short of the quick payers.

The Starting Lineup of Games

Games & providers score: 3.7 / 5

theScore runs PENN's Hollywood Casino library in Michigan: a tidy, well-chosen set of 500 or more titles. It covers every core category without trying to be the biggest room in the state. Our roundup of Michigan online slots puts that size in context.

The Slot Bench

Slots carry the lineup, from classic reels to modern video slots, daily-jackpot games, and PENN Game Studios originals.

The RTP numbers below are provider and industry norms, not figures theScore confirms per title, since it does not publish per-game RTP.

Live Dealer Action

Evolution drives the live floor, with blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and game-show formats, the same suite PENN uses on Hollywood Casino. To weigh live against software baccarat statewide, see our guide to online baccarat in Michigan. The figures below are theoretical, by format.

Software Tables

The software tables hit the staples without a dealer on screen: a few blackjack and roulette builds, plus baccarat.

It is a working set rather than a deep one, and high-limit or niche formats are present but thin. The percentages below are standard for each game type.

Jackpots and Daily Drops

Jackpot fans get Red Tiger Daily Drops on titles like Cash Volt and 777 Strike, each set to pay out before a deadline, plus network progressives. To see how big these can hit, watch the jackpot win replays on our homepage.

The pools lean on Red Tiger and NetEnt rather than the IGT progressive jackpots that headline some rivals, though IGT classics do sit in the wider library.

NetEnt's Divine Fortune anchors the progressive side here, one of the most recognised NetEnt progressive jackpot slots around.

Video Poker and the Rest

Past slots and tables, you also get video poker and a few specialty titles.

These are present rather than plentiful, but they round out a shelf that covers what a Michigan player expects to find.

Who Makes the Games

The studio roster is shared with Hollywood Casino and built on familiar names plus PENN's own:

The Library's Best Position

Where the games shine:

• Proven Hollywood Casino content that covers every core category
• A strong Evolution live floor shared with PENN's flagship
• Red Tiger daily drops alongside a well-known NetEnt progressive
• A dependable all-rounder rather than the biggest catalogue in the state

Verdict, Games & Providers (3.7/5). The content quality is high, the live floor is genuinely good, and daily-drop and progressive jackpots give the room some pull. What holds it back is plain arithmetic: around 500 titles, with no published per-title RTP. Good across the board, a notch under the catalogue leaders.

Game Time: Site and App

User experience & mobile score: 3.8 / 5

Getting Around

This is theScore's home turf. A sports-media company built the app, and it shows.

Pages load fast, the layout stays clean, and the casino tab sits a tap from the sportsbook inside one account. The look slid over smoothly when ESPN BET became theScore Bet.

Signing Up

Setup is short, and sports users on theScore Bet need nothing new to start playing casino. The steps:

1. Open theScore Bet, then register, or log in if you already bet sports.
2. Verify your identity and confirm you are 21 or older in Michigan.
3. Head to the casino tab and deposit $10 or more in cash.
4. Place an eligible wager to fire the welcome refund and the Bet & Get spins.

One login, one balance, and one verification then cover both sports and casino across web and apps.

Finding a Title

Search and category filters handle the basics, with rows for live tables, jackpots, and new arrivals.

A 500-game shelf is quick to scan. Players used to giant rooms will find fewer deep filters, mostly because there is less to sort through.

Mobile Browser Play

The mobile site tracks the app closely, with responsive layouts and the full feature set.

Skip the download and you lose little. On current phones it stays smooth, helped by those quick load times.

The theScore Bet App

The iOS and Android apps are the standout. theScore's media polish and live sports feeds sit right next to the casino tab.

Sports fans get scores, stats, and alerts in the same place they spin. The in-app casino is smaller than a dedicated casino app, but the whole thing feels slick and steady.

Where the Key Details Sit

Terms, banking, promotions, and safer-play tools all live in the main menus, and the help centre fields the routine questions.

Bonus specifics stay inside each promotion's own terms, so read the offer page before you opt in.

Verdict, User Experience & Mobile (3.8/5). A fast, media-grade app with live sports built into the same account, plus near-identical mobile-web, makes this a high mark. The only knocks are lighter filtering and a smaller in-app casino than the standalone rooms. App quality carries the score.

The Support Bench and Safer Play

Customer support & responsible gambling score: 3.3 / 5

We weigh four things: which channels exist, when they are staffed, how fast and accurate the replies are, and whether issues actually get closed out.

Our scenario-by-scenario test, which runs sign-up, a bonus query, a banking snag, verification, safer-play help, and account closure, is not finished, so this pillar stays provisional and may move once we run it.

Reaching theScore Support

Coverage is decent. You can open a live chat in the app, email the team, or call the support line, with a Zendesk help centre behind it all.

Sharing the wider PENN support setup means the channels are well established, though reply quality can dip at peak times.

Playing Within Limits

theScore carries PENN's safer-play kit, with 21-plus and in-state checks enforced and the helpline signposted. The controls on hand:

• Deposit, spend, and time limits set inside the account
• Reality checks, cool-off windows, and self-exclusion
• 1-800-GAMBLER prompts across the site and apps

For a wider look at these tools and where to find more help, use our responsible gambling tools resource.

Verdict, Customer Support & Responsible Gambling (3.3/5, provisional). Live chat, phone, email, and a full help centre cover the channels, and the safer-play kit is complete. Reply quality can wobble when it is busy, and our structured test is still to run, so the mark stays provisional in the middle of the board.

Roster Moves: What's New

Product development & platform freshness score: 3.6 / 5

The ESPN BET Rebrand and 2026 Updates

Recent activity is mostly the rebrand plus steady upkeep, not a ground-up rebuild. The headline moves:

• ESPN BET became theScore Bet in December 2025, with tighter ties to theScore's media app
• Every account, balance, and reward carried over, no re-registration needed
• Casino promotions got a 2026 refresh, including the rotating Game of the Week
• PENN Game Studios titles keep arriving, shared with Hollywood Casino

The rename itself was cosmetic. And because PENN aims its casino spending at Hollywood, theScore tends to inherit improvements rather than debut them.

Our Baseline

This is our first scored pass on theScore Bet Michigan under the new methodology, so there is nothing earlier to measure against; these notes set the starting line.

Verdict, Product Development & Platform Freshness (3.6/5). A clean recent rebrand, refreshed promos, and a shared content pipeline keep it current. But the rename was mostly skin-deep, and theScore queues behind Hollywood for new features. A respectable mark rather than a leading one.

Full Time: The Verdict

theScore Bet Michigan finishes on a final 3.6 out of 5, an upper-middle result.

The win column: a trusted owner, a polished sports-and-casino app, the proven Hollywood library, and PENN Play rewards. The loss column: a mid-sized shelf, payouts that several players find slow, and second-string status inside PENN. With the terms audit now in, the score is final.

What earns the score

• Sports and casino in one fast, media-grade app and account
• A PENN Entertainment platform with cross-property PENN Play perks
• Proven Hollywood Casino games, with a strong Evolution live floor
• Up to $500 back on early losses, on light playthrough

What costs it

• A roughly 500-title shelf, short of the biggest rivals
• Withdrawals that read slow in several player accounts
• A back seat to PENN's flagship, Hollywood Casino
• Credits-based bonus money on a tight clock, with games left out

Who it fits

theScore Bet sports bettors who want casino play in the same wallet, and anyone who rates a clean app and PENN Play points over a giant library.

Who should look elsewhere

Casino-first players chasing the deepest catalogues or the fastest cash-outs, including, ironically, PENN's own Hollywood Casino for instant wallet payouts.

Best and Weakest Pillars

• Top of the card: Trust & Safety at 4.5.
• Joint lowest: Customer Support and Responsible Gambling and Terms and Conditions, both at 3.3.

In between sit User Experience (3.8), Games (3.7), Freshness (3.6), and Bonus and Banking (both 3.5). With Terms and Conditions now scored at 3.3, the Expert Score settles at a final 3.6. The throughline is a trusted, app-led room whose limits are catalogue size, payout pace, and its place behind Hollywood in PENN's plans.

Responsible gambling. theScore Bet Michigan is for adults 21 and over who are inside the state. Treat it as entertainment, not a way to earn or to dig out of a hole. Keep your deposit and time caps on, step away when you need to, and never bet to claw back a loss. If the fun fades or control slips, free and private help is one call away at any hour on 1-800-GAMBLER. theScore offers deposit, spend, and time limits, reality checks, cool-off windows, and self-exclusion.

theScore Bet Michigan: Common Player Questions

Is theScore Bet legit in Michigan?

Yes. It runs under the Michigan Gaming Control Board, through PENN's market access and the Score Media and Gaming platform. The same audited tech powers Hollywood Casino, with encrypted transactions and optional two-factor login.

How are theScore Bet and Hollywood Casino related?

Both are PENN Entertainment products on one platform. In the US, PENN delivers its casino content as Hollywood Casino, and that same library shows up inside theScore Bet as theScore Casino. They share games, the cashier, and PENN Play rewards.

Did ESPN BET turn into theScore?

The sportsbook did. PENN renamed ESPN BET to theScore Bet in December 2025 once its ESPN deal ended. The casino inside the app carries PENN's Hollywood content, and accounts, balances, and rewards moved across untouched.

What does the welcome offer give you?

New players can get every dollar of their first 24-hour net loss back, up to $500 in credits, plus as many as 300 spins through a daily Bet & Get after a $5 cash wager. Eligible games and a short use window apply.

How quick are withdrawals?

Wallets usually clear inside 24 hours, while cards and bank transfers take about 2 to 5 business days. A fair few players say payouts run slower than at rival apps, occasionally arriving next day even for small amounts. theScore charges no withdrawal fee, and $10 is the floor.

How do you reach support?

Open live chat in the app, email [email protected], or call 1 (844) 953-2121. A Zendesk help centre covers the everyday questions.

Are there live dealer games?

Yes, on Evolution: live blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and game shows, the same floor PENN uses on Hollywood Casino. Note that live tables fall outside the welcome refund.

Can you play outside Michigan?

PENN's casino content is live in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. To play in Michigan, you must be 21 or older and physically inside the state.