The state of Michigan has been considering online gambling regulations for some time now and finally, movement is being seen in legislative efforts. A bill was reviewed by the Regulatory Reform Committee on Wednesday with the committee voting in approval of the measure.
Legislation passed within the Regulatory Reform Committee of Michigan with a vote of 8 to 1. The bill should now move forward to the Senate where a vote will hopefully be in the works. Currently, there is no companion bill for online casino gaming in the House, so this is the only shot as of now to see the activity legalized within the state.
If the legislation is able to continue moving forward and eventually signed into law, the state of Michigan would be able to provide online poker and casino gaming to individuals located within the state’s borders. The bill calls for an application fee of $100,000 as well as a fee for licensing of $5 million. Any company that wants to apply will need to pay the initial $100,000 and then cover the licensing fee if approved. Taxes are set for operators at 10%.
Currently, the state offers commercial as well as tribal gaming venues, both types being eligible to operate online gaming if legislation is passed. There are three commercial casinos located in Detroit that are quite popular, earning $1.37 billion last year. With the popularity of land based gaming, the state feels that online gambling would be just as lucrative.
For around three years, the state has been reviewing online gaming and how it could be integrated into the current gambling industry. Instead of focusing on online casino or poker gaming in the beginning, the state started with an online lottery program. It will now be interesting to see if the legislation continues to move forward and if players will have access to online gambling options in the near future.
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