Bills will progress to House of Representatives
Michigan’s House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee approved the package of bills on online gaming and sports betting on Tuesday, bringing the state one step closer to gambling legalization.
Both bills were approved by votes of 10-1 each. It is now down to the House of Representatives to discuss these bills, which could be voted on later this week.
Language amendments required
Committee chairman Brandt Iden had maintained that the sports betting bill, House Bill 4916, needed a couple of amendments while passing through Ways and Means. This was thought to allow the progression and adoption of a regulatory framework with or without the iGaming bill’s support.
Iden added language that was specific to mobile gaming, which would allow the bill to continue regardless of external decisions.
Interest submitted by well-known names
Iden has worked hard on putting forward a sports betting bill that all interested parties could support, from gambling operators to sports teams and even the Indian tribes. Well-known names such as DraftKings, Fanduel, and MGM have already expressed their interest.
a sports betting bill that all interested parties could support
Iden was quick to mention states that had already sanctioned sports betting, such as Indiana and Illinois, and remarked that Ohio was “quickly on our heels”. He concluded that the bill would “[help] to bring all the stakeholders that participated in the conversation on board. We had a lot of in-depth discussions as it related to the rules and regulations and how sports betting was going to be outlined in the state.”
New governor absent from negotiations
Michigan’s new governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has been noticeably absent from recent negotiations. She previously endorsed a report asking for a 15% tax rate on sports betting, with initial licensing fees of up to $1 million.
During its progression through the Ways and Means Committee, the said sports betting bill faced opposition from the Michigan State Budget Office and two public education associations. Following Tuesday’s vote, it will now pass to the House of Representatives together with the iGaming bill.
