LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Friday to legalize sports betting and Internet gambling, calling it a bipartisan win for the state that will bolster funding for public schools and permanently dedicated funding to help first responders who get cancer from fighting fires.
The laws take effect immediately, but wagering will not start for a number of months because commercial and tribal casinos need to obtain state licenses. Lawmakers have said they are hopeful that sports betting and online gambling could start in time for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in March.
A spokeswoman for the governor told the Detroit News, “Gov. Whitmer is optimistic that implementation will be efficient.”
Michigan becomes the 19th state to legalize sports betting in the 18 months since the Supreme Court overturned a ban on single game sports wagering, allowing individual states to regulate the activity and offer the activity through casinos, racetracks, lotteries and online.
In addition to Nevada – the only state that had full-scale sports betting prior to the Supreme Court decision – Delaware, New Jersey, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania Rhode Island and West Virginia, all have active sports betting businesses.
Michigan joins Colorado, Illinois, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee and Washington D.C. with approved legislation.
American Gaming Association CEO Bill Miller said Michigan capped off a “tremendous year” of expansion for legal sports betting.
“These new markets offer more Americans a safe, legal way to wager on sports while positively impacting communities, like in Michigan, where revenue from sports betting will generate needed resources for public education, first responders, and, importantly, responsible gaming,” Miller said.
The Michigan Department of Treasury estimates the new laws will bring in $19 million in new revenue to the state, according to the governor’s office on Friday.
Whitmer said her priority in negotiations was ensuring that the new gambling does not negatively impact the $15.1 billion school aid fund, which is funded in part by the I-Lottery and boosting the school aid fund.
“My top priority in signing this legislation was protecting and investing in the School Aid Fund because our students deserve leaders who put their education first,” Whitmer said according to the Detroit News.
The bills, she added, “will put more dollars in Michigan classrooms and increase funding for firefighters battling cancer. This is a real bipartisan win for our state.”
All current forms of casino games will be offered online or on mobile devices once casinos are licensed. Those who are 21 or older will be able to participate.
Sports betting is expected to start with only wagers placed at physical locations within the state’s casinos, said Marvin Beatty, vice president of community and public relations at Greektown casino, one of three casinos in Detroit, told the Detroit News.
In October, MGM Grand Detroit opened its Moneyline Sports Lounge, which for now is serving as a sports bar, complete with 60 televisions, a capacity of 280 and three sections of VIP seating. The lounge is located off the front entrance to the casino near the hotel lobby, and casino officials hope it will become a major attraction when the legalized sports betting begins.
(Associated Press, the Detroit News, and CDC Gaming contributed to this story)
