LANSING, Mich. — It’s been nearly a year since sports gambling was first legalized in Michigan and the state is now gearing up to soon launch online sports betting.
Since last spring, sports gamblers have been able to wager on games in-person at casinos, but doing it online or from a phone is the next step and it could come by the new year.
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules is meeting in Lansing Tuesday morning, to review rules and regulations.
“It's really in many respects in administrative act at this point, especially since the committee has indicated that they intend to approve the rules tomorrow,” Sports Attorney Michael Huff said
With rules intact, sportsbooks and local casinos will be well on their way to launching online betting.
The over/under of when? Around New Year’s Day.
“We might have online betting in either late December or early January in Michigan once all the licensing is completed. So while Michigan's a little bit behind some of the other states, we're still at the forefront compared to many states across the country and have an opportunity to really come in and grab some revenue here,” Huff said.
A huge money maker in a new industry that’s been hampered by the pandemic.
“The potential is obviously quite significant. The states that are out ahead of Michigan are seeing I think even more revenue than many of them projected. The handle across the country in October was about $3 billion. Michigan was a very small part of that, but once the online component exists, especially if we're still in a partial shutdown in the state of Michigan, I think it will be pretty substantial,” Huff added.
With some Michigan casinos forced to close or limit people because of the ongoing pandemic, online betting could bring in some much needed revenue, not to mention millions in tax dollars for the state.
