{"id":107777,"date":"2019-06-25T12:57:26","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T19:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=107777"},"modified":"2019-06-25T12:57:26","modified_gmt":"2019-06-25T19:57:26","slug":"michigan-governor-opposesd-to-online-gaming-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-governor-opposesd-to-online-gaming-push\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Governor Opposes Online Gaming Push, Supporters Have Six Months to Change Her Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is not a fan of the state\u2019s legislative effort to legalize online gaming.<\/p>\n

\"Michigan
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer needs some convincing on online gaming, fearing that a future market would damage online lottery sales, although evidence from New Jersey suggests this would not be the case. (Image: Washington Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whitmer is at loggerheads with the bill\u2019s sponsor, State Representative Brandt Iden (R-Oshtemo Township), because she feels that a future online gaming market would cannibalize the state\u2019s online and retail lottery revenues, draining money from school programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve said very clearly, over and over again, that protecting the School Aid Fund, ensuring that we get every dollar back into the education of our kids is my top priority,\u201d Whitmer told Michigan Radio this week. \u201cSo I\u2019m going to have a hard time supporting anything that doesn\u2019t protect that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Jersey vs Michigan <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Iden counters the argument that online gaming would impact lottery sales has not been borne out in other jurisdictions that have opted to legalize and regulate. That\u2019s largely because people are playing online already, on the black market, and regulation would channel some of that money back to the state, while ensuring customers are protected.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one of the things that the governor desperately needs right now. She\u2019s looking for increased dollars for roads, she\u2019s looking for increased dollars for education,\u201d said Iden. \u201cWhat I\u2019m proposing is a way to help get her there and I certainly hope she doesn\u2019t stand in the way of bringing more dollars to kids.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He\u2019s probably right. New Jersey is the only state with both online gaming and online lottery markets that have reached a level of maturity — as well as having a comparable population to Michigan. It reported record lottery sales last year of $3.3 billion. That beat the previous record set in 2017 by $10 million. Meanwhile, its online casino market — launched late 2013 — is also at an all-time high.<\/p>\n

Michigan\u2019s lottery sales were $3.6 billion last year, but it has a higher population by just over a million people — 10 million versus just under 9 million — which makes New Jersey\u2019s lottery more lucrative per capita.<\/p>\n

Familiar Feeling<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nevertheless, Iden must be experiencing a creeping sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. In 2018, having united Michigan\u2019s disparate stakeholders, including the state\u2019s commercial and tribal casinos, his bill was passed<\/a> by the House and Senate, only to be vetoed unexpectedly by Whitmer\u2019s predecessor, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder.<\/a><\/p>\n

Snyder\u2019s primary reason? That gambling behaviour could \u201cshift from the State\u2019s iLottery program to internet-based gambling at casinos.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former governor had given no indication that he planned to veto until he pulled the plug last year, just days before Christmas.<\/p>\n

At least his successor is up front about her misgivings from the get-go. Earlier this month the Governor\u2019s Office asked that Brandt remove slots from his online gambling legislation, while almost doubling tax rates.<\/p>\n

If implemented, the proposal would have cut the potential revenues from online gaming by an estimated 70 percent, while making the market extremely undesirable for prospective operators.<\/p>\n

Iden stood his ground, calling it a \u201cnon-starter\u201d and not a meaningful proposal.<\/p>\n

The legislature is willing, the governor is not. And because Michigan is one of the few states with a yearlong legislative calendar, Iden still has six months to change Whitmer\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is not a fan of the state\u2019s legislative effort to legalize online gaming. Whitmer is at loggerheads with the bill\u2019s sponsor, State Representative Brandt Iden (R-Oshtemo Township), because she feels that a future online gaming market would cannibalize the state\u2019s online and retail lottery revenues, draining money from school programs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":107782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMichigan Governor Opposesd to Online Gaming Push<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is at loggerheads with State Rep. 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