Race To Online MI Sports Betting Launch Now On The Final Lap

The final draft of rules and regulations for online Michigan sportsbooks has been sent to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for approval.

Online sportsbooks in Michigan are getting closer to being launched to the public as the rules and regulations phase is nearing the end.
Should all go as planned, Michigan will see internet sports betting platforms by January of 2021.

DETROIT – A final draft of Michigan sports betting rules and regulations for online sportsbooks have been drawn up and sent to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for approval.

Should the committee approve or take no action, the current draft will be sent to the Secretary of State to become legally binding.

Once this occurs, internet sportsbooks in Michigan would be eligible to receive official licenses by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MCGB) to launch online operations.

When Could Michigan See An Online Sports Betting Industry?

Currently, Michigan has 26 casinos; three commercial facilities, and 23 Tribal establishments. Of these locations, one of each (commercial and Tribal) needs to have an internet sports wagering platform rollout that would happen simultaneously before any other online sportsbooks are eligible to launch in the state to abide by state law.

If one is ready and the other is not, no wagers can be taken by the sportsbook.

The law allows the MCGB to license all 26 locations for internet sports betting. However, if two Tribal casinos are ready to launch and a commercial casino is not, then no internet betting can take place even through the platforms that are prepared to do business.

The Wolverine State’s internet sportsbook market has to be an equal and balanced playing field when it comes to a launch, with commercial and Tribal businesses beginning operations at the same time.

Now that the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules has a copy of the proposed final rules and regulations, they are given 15 legislative days to approve, reject, or do nothing. Doing nothing results in automatic approval.

The committee is comprised of ten members; five senators and five representatives from Michigan. Factoring in the 15-day mandate from the time of receipt, that would set a finalized internet sports betting industry in the state of Michigan by mid to late December.

What’s Next?

Should there be no kinks in the road, the MCGB can begin licensing locations in December with the approved rules and regulations in place.

Top sports betting operators such as BetMGM, Barstool Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, and William Hill are all expected to launch internet sportsbooks in the state. Michiganders must be at least 21 years old to join any one of these outlets to wager on sporting events.

If the timeline goes according to plan, January 2021 would see the first mobile and internet sportsbook launches in the history of Michigan.

This would be the perfect timing for a launch as it would allow sports bettors to get some modern online sports betting action in on Super Bowl 55 that is set to take place on February 7, 2021.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.