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On the 22nd of January 2021, Michigan became the fifth state in the United States to legalize iGaming. It had previously legalized online sports betting with great success just a year before, so it seemed a sensible and well-thought-out move by the governors. We’re going to take a brief look at how the legalization of online gaming has affected the state of Michigan just a couple of years down the line.
How The Bill Was Passed
The idea of passing an online gaming bill was first introduced in the December of 2016 by Senator Mike Kowall. He proposed that commercial casinos could provide internet gaming, but the bill was abandoned the same month. That same bill with some minor changes came back in 2017 and was this time approved. By the fall of 2018, it had landed on a Governor’s desk for the first time, but after making it this far the bill was once more refused.
It was in 2019 when there was the first breakthrough with the Lawful Internet Gaming Act. The campaign was revived alongside the Lawful Sports Betting Act and both proposals made it through the house in October of that year. In December they made it to the Senate and both bills were passed again. It was 2020 when sportsbooks launched in Michigan and 2021 when the first casinos began to hit the scene. Two years later, there have been some exciting changes in Michigan, so, let’s take a look at some of them.
Increased Revenue From Taxes
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Caption: Now that online casinos are legal, their revenue can be taxed
Now that it’s legal to play poker in Michigan, there has been an uptick in the number of subscribers to sites in the state. This is great news for the local government because legal sites can be taxed, bringing in welcome revenue to the state. This is one of the biggest changes that can be expected to happen when something like a gaming law is passed. It makes a huge impact in-state, enabling funding for all kinds of things from schools to police, cleaning streets to library facilities. Public spending makes a massive difference to the population and legalizing gaming brings an entirely new income stream to fund that.
Safer Gaming
Another big benefit to legalizing online gaming in Michigan has been that gamers are now able to enjoy a safer gaming experience. Unfortunately, even when gaming isn’t legalized, there will still be some companies that operate under the radar. These companies can’t be verified as safe, because there are no laws in place that say that they have to be. However, when online gaming becomes legalized, there are rules and regulations that govern the safety of casino sites, stipulating that they have to handle people’s personal data and their money safely and securely, as well as ensuring that the games they offer are fair. For example, through the use of RNGs. This makes the playing field fair and safe for everybody.
Job Creation
New industry always brings new jobs with it and the online gaming industry is no exception. There have already been two new casino sites that have sprung up in Michigan since the legalization of online gaming. Along with these casinos, there will have been lots of new jobs created, reducing unemployment in Michigan and creating more money via taxes for public spending.