The Michigan House of Representatives recently voted 63-45 to pass the amended Lawful Sports Betting Act, which would legalize sports betting and internet gambling. The bill now moves to the Senate which has until the end of the year to pass the legislation and send it to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who’s not 100 percent on board with it yet.
State Rep. Rebekah Warren explained, “We’re getting ever so much closer to having a package of bills that meet all of those objectives: can get the majority vote that’s needed, the super majority vote when it’s needed and get the administration to sign off with Governor Whitmer’s signature. Unfortunately, there are a couple of pieces of this package that are not quite ready yet. Please hear me saying the goal is to get to ‘yes,’ we are just not ‘yes’ today.”
The sports betting bill would tax revenue at 8.75 percent but Whitmer previously endorsed a report asking for a 15 percent tax rate on sports betting; the three Detroit casinos’ sportsbooks would be taxed at 12 percent. Initial licensing fees would cost up to $1 million.
In addition, the House-passed bill mandates the use of official league data if it’s offered on “commercially reasonable terms.”
Iden said he worked for 10 months on the bill to secure approval from the state’s commercial casinos, Indian tribes and sports teams. He said supporters included DraftKings, FanDuel, MGM, iDEA Growth, Lake Superior Chippewa, Huron Band of Potawatomi, Greektown Casino, Motor City Casino, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Professional Golf Association Tour and the Detroit Pistons.
“This substitute, really, I think helps to bring all the stakeholders that participated in the conversation on board. We had a lot of in-depth discussion as it related to the rules and regulations and how sports betting was going to be outlined in the state. We obviously know other states are ahead of us as it related to this issue. Indiana and Illinois have already moved forward. Ohio is quickly on our heels,” Iden said.
Still, he and Majority Vice Chair state Rep. Jim Lilly expressed frustration over the lack of dialog regarding sports betting with Whitmer and her administration. “As much as it pains me to say, the governor’s office has not put in much time up to this point. While I think we’re still interested in finding a landing spot, you have to be willing to be part of the conversation if you want to be part of the end outcome,” Lilly stated.
