Michigan Gaming Control Board sets new iGaming rules

The gaming control board in Michigan has established a new set of rules for iGaming and a discussion has started following a request for a board meeting. Sports betting regulations have been proposed.

A public consultation on the rules followed new regulations to be submitted to the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules and the Legislative Bureau for a final take on the matter.

Stakeholders sent feedback to the board about existing rules and prompted a response from the regulator where they said some changes were gonna be made and the they would be submitted for the relevant offices “in the next several days”.

The Office of Administrative Hearing And Rules would submit the new proposal to the Michigan Legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules in October. There, they will be reviewed for another 15 days before fully becoming active.

Online betting and gaming will then be permitted to go live after at least one tribal casino and at least one of the state’s three commercial casinos is granted a license. The state opened its licensing process in July.

Richard S. Kalm, executive director of the Gaming Control Board, said he expects online betting and gaming to launch by “late fall”.

The launch was initially planned for early 2021, but due to recent times regarding the pandemic, prompted efforts to accelerate the process, following disruption to the state’s land-based gaming sector.

Retail sports betting has already launched in the state at both land-based and tribal casinos.

iGaming will enter Michigan

Finally, the Michigan citizens will be able to enjoy betting from their homes and any other place with ease. There will be no penalties for the players or the gambling operators, since the gambling activities will be completely legal within the state’s borders.

At the end, the burst of popularity and the push from the players located in the state made it possible and now, Michigan will be part of those few American jurisdictions where gambling is authorized.

Once the news was released, many players could not believe it. The battle against the old and harsh regulations against iGaming seemed endless and nearly impossible to win.

But, the perseverance has paid off and the iGaming industry will enter Michigan so that anyone within it can bet on their favorite sports and casino games comfortably.

Big wins for the Michigan authorities

Granting gambling licenses is not only beneficial for the players located in the state. The government also earns a lot of money from allowing gambling companies to offer their services within its borders.

As a matter of fact, the Michigan legal authorities are set to earn more than $100 million on tax revenue from gambling companies during the first year of approval.

That particular sum of money is calculated to be more than ten times bigger by second and subsequent years considering the number of brands that get licensed in the state.

Overall, it can be seen how allowing the citizens to gamble is not that much of a loss for the government after all.

Apart from the tax revenue that gets generated by the government, the state also increases its job openings so that more citizens can get employed.

That is because the state will begin to be the main base for many gambling operators, giving the Michigan citizens the chance to apply for applications on any of those gambling brands.

The fight against gambling in the United States

After noticing the great revenue figures that can be earned by the government through gambling, it is hard to believe how any authority would be against it in any way. However, gambling has not been all wins and cheers.

Sadly, gambling has been the subject of many crimes and problems that have caused many countries to prohibit any of its forms within their borders.

Crimes such as money laundering, theft and corruption have alerted many governments across the globe. In addition to that, another issue that concerns the countries is the growing gambling addiction.

Regrettably, the addiction to any form of gambling has been a huge topic and reason for the governments to make the final decision of blocking the usage of any gambling platform.

Statistically, the number of gambling addicts that reside in countries where online gambling is legal is scandalously higher than the number of them that reside in countries where gambling is completely prohibited.

Due to such statistics, a lot of governments that used to allow their citizens to join and invest on gambling platforms ended up abolishing their regulations and prohibiting any type of gambling activity.

Will the gambling industry prevail in Michigan?

The gambling industry is set to develop in the Michigan state as of this moment. The government will earn their share through tax revenue, while the players will be given the chance to earn some extra money through various gambling options.

It is not possible to predict the future of the industry in the state. But, in the meantime, this is a great step towards growth and popularity that any member of the gambling industry should be celebrating but only time will tell.