Michigan is getting closer to legalizing sports betting

 

Michigan is getting closer to legalizing sports betting -

here’s what it means to college sports

 

September 17, 2019, is a special date for the sports betting industry because Michigan’s House Committee on Regulatory Reform passed three legislative measures revolving around sports gambling.
 
The first bill, House Bill 4916 is the most important piece of the three. It allows both in-person and online wagers and establishes sportsbooks at Michigan’s three commercial casinos, as well as other minor casinos in the state. Commercial casinos would be taxed by 11.25%, while the tribal casinos will only pay 8% on their operations. 
 
The other two bills are basically the additions to the first one. They regulate gambling violations and other similar matters.
 
However, according to this web site, this is a special event in Michigan’s legislative support for sports gambling. Despite the overall support by the lawmakers, the aforementioned bill was axed by the former state governor Rick Snyder, who was just leaving his office. 
 
Gaining a majority of legislative support, three bills are now expected to be presented in the House for a vote, but if the new governor follows her predecessor’s footsteps, the bill might as well get chopped up.
 
What it might mean for college sports
 
As fewer states remain that ban (or don’t consider removing the ban) sports betting, it becomes obvious that the next stop should be college sports, which itself is very popular in the U.S. There are many concerns over the commercialization of this industry, but it may bring some positive changes as well.
 
College football programs have recently been concerned about the scarcity of fan attendance to the games as people stop spending money on tickets and instead watch the games at home. The reason why this recent legislative transformation might be good for the industry is that it could revive a desire to actually be at the game and watch spectate in person. Perhaps if fans have their own money at stake, or can place a bet while being at the stadium, they might be more likely to show up.