A Michigan State Senate committee held a hearing on two bills before the Senate to legalize online gambling in the state.
Michigan state Senator Mike Kowall has introduced a bill which would allow the state to offer regulated online poker and casino games. A companion bill that simply amends the state’s penal code to make an exemption for gambling, according to casinocitytimes.com.
The bill restricts online gambling operating licenses to tribal casinos and Michigan commercial casinos already in possession of a license. It allows for a maximum of eight licenses will be issued. The up-front cost to obtain a license will be $5 million.
According to the website’s report, the nine-person committee, chaired by Michigan State Senator Tory Rocca, heard testimony from four different people in support of the bills, including Poker Players Alliance President John Pappas and three representatives from PokerStars/Amaya Gaming.
Pappas said that online gambling expansion bills are primarily consumer protection bills. He noted that Michigan residents are already gambling online on unregulated, offshore sites.
The three representatives from PokerStars/Amaya detailed how PokerStars manages responsible gambling, identifying problem gambling and potential fraud, and other compliance issues, the report said.
The hearing did not result in a vote.
