Michigan has waited far too long for this amazing development, as residents have been clamoring for a chance to gamble online. While the resident of Michigan will need to wait for a few weeks for that to come to fruition, the final hurdle is about to be crossed.
A Republican senator, Sen. Pete Lucido, who chairs the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), announced that JCAR would redirect the time it has available to reviewing Michigan’s iGaming rules final draft. While JCAR is only a cog in the legislative-regulatory powerhouse, it is, however, a vital one at this time.
Upon review and approval of the final draft of Michigan’s iGaming rules, the coast would be clear for the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) to commence the issuance of licenses and thereafter set a launch date. Sen. Lucido is positive the date will be announced before the end of the year. He emphasized that they all want to see this come to a reality and that it is long overdue.
The Pressure to Launch Might be Counter-Productive
With the shutting down of the Detroit commercial casinos at the behest of the Governor, and also that of half the tribal casinos in the Upper Peninsula being closed on their own volition, the Michigan gamblers have had to depend solely on the Pennsylvania online casinos to fill the void.
The launch of the Michigan online casino was originally slated for launch in early 2021. But in the summer, plans were set in motion to fast track the launch timeline. A particular Senator was keen to see things come to life at the time that he introduced a bill to give operators the power to launch without a license pending when the pandemic comes to a total halt. This bill, however, failed to pass out of the committee in the summer but will get a hearing later today.
While there is a huge push to see this come to life faster than usual, it has become evident over time that there are lots of red tapes to cross and too many parties involved to hurry into this.
Which Online Casino will likely Launch first in Michigan?
There are over a dozen potential operators in the state of Michigan, with partnerships ready to go as most of them are looking to launch as soon as attainable. But we do not see the MGCB offering so many licenses in the short span that’s left in the year, except they pull a rabbit out of the hat.
If the MGCB goes in the direction of a fully synchronized launch, all in a bid for transparency and fairness, then we most likely will be having a 2021 launch. Although, with the pressure for a December launch, we would likely see a few operators commence operations in December. Which operator(s), you might ask?
Well, your guess is as good as mine. But the following operators are most likely the potential ones;
- FanDuel
- DraftKings
- BetMGM
- BetRivers
- Hollywood or Barstool
