Michigan Lawmakers Give Update On Sports Betting Launch

According to new reporting from NBC News, the Wolverine State will soon be able to place sports bets. With the Michigan economy being in the doldrums, it could be the economic boost the state certainly needs now. Democratic State Senator Curtis Hertel Jr. discussed the next steps for sports betting in Michigan. Hertel, who will be in office until December 2022 due to term limits, believes that sports betting will be up and in Michigan during January. He just can not specify a date when things will start.
In-person sports betting started in Michigan in March of 2020, after Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a sports betting bill into law. Just as the gaming industry’s new arm got underway, the coronavirus started spreading through the country, causing several casinos to close indefinitely. Sports betting in Michigan was only legal in physical locations; due to the virus, the launch and aftermath have been extremely slow and challenging.
Hertel Says Online Sports Betting Will Rule
Senator Hertel believes every “casino in Detroit, will have an online sportsbook they partner with. That way, it won’t matter if there are mandatory shutdowns due to the virus.” Hertel thinks the issues with the virus will continue to wreak havoc with physical locations. Not just in Michigan but all over the country and beyond. Hertel also revealed “that when sports betting does launch, it’s online entities that will draw in the majority of the bets placed in Michigan.” Hertel said according to sports betting license applications submitted thus far, he “expects at least a dozen different sports betting options to be made available to Michigan players.”
Like several other states, Michigan still deals with a majority of all sports bets that are placed overseas in illegal sports betting operations. Hertel and other advocates of sports betting are committed to seeing that change, and the money being spent on sports betting is done in legal arenas. That will be a considerable source of taxable income for Michigan and other states that presently have sports betting and several others that are expected to up and running during 2021. Hertel also said, “the roll-out of additional gaming options will continue past January. Hertel said other types of online gaming options will come on line during the year.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer Supports Sports Betting
The Democratic Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, has long been an advocate of legal sports betting. She signed a sports betting bill into law in December of 2019. The first legal sports bet was placed in March of 2020 at the MGM Grand Casino in Detroit. The bet was placed at a specially built sports betting lounge in the casino called Money Line Sports Bar.
Hertel added, “We are going to have a big roll-out, special giveaways, and contests to promote online sports betting. The Michigan voters have spoken, and we are looking forward to a successful first year, and many successful years.”