Michigan state Rep. Brandt Iden’s gambling bill, H 4311, recently passed out of the House Regulatory Reform Committee in a 13-1 vote. The measure would allow online gambling, sports betting and daily fantasy sports. If it passes, Michigan would become the sixth U.S. state to legalize online poker.
A nearly identical bill was advanced by the same committee in a 12-3 vote 18 months ago. However, former Governor Rick Snyder vetoed the bill just before he left office. Both last year’s and this year’s bill would tax gambling revenue at 8 percent, plus another 1.25 percent from Detroit casinos. Committee members rejected a proposed amendment that would have raised the tax rate to 16 percent.
New Governor Gretchen Whitmer has expressed support for sports betting and appears to not oppose online gambling.
The next stop for the bill will be the House Ways & Means Committee, where Iden is the chairman.
