Today’s Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) public meeting offered an update on the Great Lakes State’s progress toward an online sports betting and online casino launch.
During the public meeting, held January 12, 2021, MGCB Executive Director Richard S. Kalm said “We expect to be making an announcement this afternoon or any day up to the 19th. We are waiting for the last odds and ends. We will give several operators the opportunity to launch. Some will launch sports betting and online gaming simultaneously.”
In short, this means Michigan sports betting apps and online casinos could be live as soon as next week.
“We were hoping to have something more concrete to share today, but we’re cautiously optimistic we’ll have something this week or next,” continued Kalm. “As soon as there’s one tribal property and one commercial property ready to launch, we’ll do a public statement.”
Kalm also noted that the public statement will confirm exactly which operators are cleared for launch in Michigan.
Michigan’s Online Gambling Holding Pattern
These developments arrive after a months-long regulatory process aimed at launching online gambling platforms in Michigan. According to Kalm during the MGCB public meeting, this is the “fastest the organization has ever promulgated rules.”
And although the announcement should come this week or next, there may be a four to five day lag before operators actually begin taking bets in Michigan.
Even so, a public announcement from the MGCB and the subsequent launch of operators like BetMGM, BetRivers, DraftKings, and others means Michiganders could have access to sports betting in advance of the Super Bowl.
Michigan Online Poker
Executive Director Kalm also provided an update on Michigan’s recent online poker developments.
Speaking about potentially joining an online poker compact, Kalm said “We’ve had discussions with the state of New Jersey. I don’t expect online poker soon, maybe the end of 2021, but for now we’re focused on prepping for 15 operators for online sports betting and online casino-style games.”
This confirms many a suspicion that Michigan would seek to enter a multi-state poker agreement, vastly increasing the pool of eligible online poker players.
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