In a recent editorial in the Detroit News, former Michigan state Senator Mike Kowall wrote that Governor Rick Snyder “made a mistake” by vetoing online gambling legislation. Despite that, Kowall stated, “Residents of the state of Michigan should not fret. The coalition of Democrats and Republicans we have forged in the state supportive of online gambling legalization has become too large to ignore, so the measure will get through the governmental process sooner rather than later. Instead of looking backward, we must look forward. That means using this time to inform our new governor, Gretchen Whitmer, on the many myths about online gambling out there so that this bipartisan effort doesn’t face another veto next year.”
Kowall noted in December a bipartisan majority of the state Senate passed a bill legalizing online gambling. The measure, “if signed into law, could have uplifted the city’s economy by bringing over tens of millions in revenue to the city and state’s economy.” He said online gambling is not a supplement to brick-and-mortar casinos, but rather complements them. “The traditional casinos in Detroit will not lose revenue because of legalization; in fact, studies show that their coffers will increase by astronomical sums each year as a result of it,” Kowall wrote. He said a report by Amaya Inc. showed online gambling could generate $45-$59.4 million annually in new revenue for Detroit’s three casinos.
In addition, Kowall said the National Council on Problem Gambling does not oppose online gambling legalization. “The real question today is not whether online gambling should exist; it is who should control it and under what parameters. Residents in Michigan are already gambling at unregulated, offshore online sites. Should policymakers like me continue to allow constituents to be put at risk, or should they work to create a safer, legal marketplace?” Kowall wrote.
He added legalizing online gambling would protect children by thoroughly vetting players’ identities and also make it easier for people with problem gambling to be detected and offered help. ”Such safeguards are often not found in the existing offshore websites,” he wrote.
Kowall stated in the upcoming year his colleagues who still serve in the legislature “look forward to working with Whitmer to push online gambling legislation over the finish line once and for all.”
