Millions more allocated to gambling regulation, education in Michigan

Thursday, June 27, 2024 9:03 PM
Photo: Michigan Gaming Control Board (courtesy)
  • Mike Seely, USBets

Running the gray-market offshore gambling beast Bovada out of its borders apparently isn’t enough to satisfy the state of Michigan.

On Thursday, the Michigan Legislature included $1.9 million in its fiscal year budget to fund 14 full-time additions to the Michigan Gaming Control Board’s staff. According to an MGCB press release, the additional personnel will increase the agency’s regulatory capacity in one of the country’s fastest-growing sports betting and online casino markets.

This is bad news for illegal operators, as Michigan already has a well-earned reputation for cracking down on those entities, ranging from international bigwigs like Bovada to gas-station coin-pusher operations in Belleville.