Michigan House Passes Online Gambling Bill

All eyes were on the Michigan House of Representatives as they considered legislation that would allow for online gambling within its state borders. Many wondered if it would be possible to get such a bill through the legislature during this particular session. They were not disappointed when the House came away with a 68-40 vote in favor of legalizing online gambling. 

The bill will have to proceed to the state Senate which is not expected to take it up until the Fall. The Governor will then have to sign it for it to become law. At that point, the Gaming Control Board in Michigan can set out exact guidelines for how this whole thing is going to work. They are expected to work diligently with legislators to make sure they can come up with a plan for putting online gambling into its proper role in the state of Michigan. 

There had been little progress on this legislation in recent years, but the most recent Supreme Court ruling that a federal ban on sports wagering is unconstitutional has sparked many states into action. They want to get a piece of the pie as it were to try to generate some tax revenue for their own areas while at the same time find ways to bolster programs within the state that many of the legislators care about. The side effect of having additional freedoms for citizens in the state is a nice touch as well. 

When you look at the totality of all of this, it is incredible how far those who are pro-online gambling have come in such a short time. Michigan is just the latest example of a state that is opening up to this idea, but it is expected that many others are going to be following closely behind. 

The tax dollars that are expected to be generated from this move are simply too much to ignore. Expect other states such as New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia, and others to quickly follow suit and start to open up their doors to the online gambling market in exchange for a cut of the profits.