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Sports Betting in Michigan to Begin Just in Time for March Madness
By Jeff Osienya Mar 08, 2020 IndustryOn-site betting on sports is expected to go live on Wednesday, March 11th, pending approval from the Michigan Gaming Control Board. Everything will be up and running by the time the NCAA tournaments take off on March 17th.On Friday, the MGCB (Michigan Gaming Control Board) finally announced that local land-based casinos will be legally allowed to offer on-site sports betting services starting Wednesday (March 11th) at 1:00 pm. All sports bettors in the state are already pumped up in anticipation of backing their favorite teams in sportsbooks without having to worry about rubbing shoulders with the law.
However, while everything appears to be set in stone already, the three commercial casinos in Detroit are expected to prove that they have met all preliminary requirements through presentations in an MGCB public meeting on Tuesday. It is only after these casinos satisfy the board will they be officially permitted to go live the following day on Wednesday.
The sports wagers are however only allowed on-site either at betting windows or kiosks in the said casinos in Detroit.
11 Weeks on the Drawing Board
Back in December 11th 2019, lawmakers in the Wolverine State voted to legalize retail sports betting and interactive gambling. After the landmark move by the legislature, Michigan became the 20th state to allow betting on sports and the 5th to authorize online betting on casino-style games.
From there, it was upon the board to create a framework within which the new gambling expanse in the state would operate, a process that took them 11 weeks to complete. In a statement released during the Friday announcement, the regulator thanked the casinos and their suppliers for working hand in hand with them to make retail sports betting possible.
As we speak, MGM Grand Detroit released a statement through their spokesman to confirm that they are ready to accept wagers right away. Their Moneyline Sports Lounge had already been opened in October 2019 in hopes for transforming it into a betting parlor should sports betting be allowed un the state. After the legislature’s approval in December, the MGM facility now spots 60 televisions, private betting areas, eight ticket counters, self-serve kiosks and a scrolling marquee complete with schedules for the day’s sporting events.
The Greektown Casino-Hotel, on the other hand, is said to have a third-floor sports bar that comes with tons of TVs and over 20 kiosks to serve hundreds of locals at a go. A company spokesman also added that more is yet to come and they plan to create an ultra-modern betting space for all sports betting enthusiasts through its Barstool Sportsbook brand.
From the look of things, however, the third Detroit sports betting platform, which is The Motor City Casino Hotel will be late to the party as their sports betting facility isn’t ready yet.
Interactive Gambling Delayed Until 2021
On their announcement, the regulator however indicated that they had decided to focus on retail sports betting first, and the framework for interactive betting will be unveiled by early 2021. Therefore, online and mobile sports betting as well as fantasy sports will have to wait for at least 1 more year. Likewise, online casino-style games will also wait until next year.
Besides the 3 commercial casinos in the Wolverine State, there are 23 tribal casinos which are expected to join the online gambling bandwagon after cutting deals with renowned online gaming brands and operators.
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