A sponsor of a sports betting bill in Michigan says he will consider applying an “integrity fee” to professional leagues in his bill.
Michigan state Rep. Brandt Iden, speaking at a sports betting summit in Washington, said he has changed his mind about charging operators the fee after “spending significant time with the leagues, according to Reuters.
Iden said at the conference that he expects a bill introduced last year to allow online gaming to be adopted and signed by the state’s governor by the end of this year. That would allow Michigan to create statutes and regulations in 2019 and allow online and retail sportsbooks to begin at the same time, he said.
Iden, chairman of the state’s Regulatory Reform Committee, said he would consider including integrity fees paid to sports leagues to help them fight game fixing. The casino industry opposes the fees, and no other state has passed legislation that includes them.
“I believe that there’s an opportunity to have a holistic discussion to ensure we are coming up with the best policy where all parties involved feel they have a fair shake in the policy discussion,” Iden later told the website Sports Handle. “We’re still having conversations to ensure all voices are heard. “Whether a fee is off-the-top or otherwise, my goal is to take 2019 to put the best policy together we can, while having everyone’s voices heard.”
