Michigan makes move to become Ohio’s 4th neighbor with legal sports gambling

MGM Grand Detroit

MGM Grand Detroit in 2007.Getty Images

CLEVELAND, Ohio - There could be one more state nearby where Ohioans could go to place legal wagers on sporting events as early as this season’s Big Ten and NCAA basketball tournaments.

A sports wagering package cleared the Michigan legislature this week and is awaiting the signature of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who ,according to her spokeswoman, viewed the proposal as “a good, bipartisan solution," mlive.com reported.

Michigan would join Indiana, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, among other states, in legalizing sports wagering since the U.S. Supreme Court 19 months ago opened the door for any state to do so.

Sports wagering is now taking place in 13 states, and has been approved but not yet launched in six other states and the District of Columbia, according to tracking by the Associated Press updated last week.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in March that he anticipated that sports gambling would be coming to Ohio. However, separate Ohio Senate and House bills on the proposal have not reached floor votes.

West Virginia and Pennsylvania were so aggressive in entering the sports gaming market that they passed bills ahead of the May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, in anticipation that the court would open sports gambling beyond Nevada. Indiana approved sports wagering this year.

If Ohio follows the lead of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, it would mark a repeat of gambling trends.

Casinos were already operating in Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia before Ohio’s first casino opened in Cleveland in 2012. Ohio voters in 2009 approved casino gambling.

In Michigan, legislators said they hoped to have the gambling framework in place for the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments in March, mlive.com reported, highlighting details that include permitting wagering at the Detroit casinos, plus online and by mobile devices for people in Michigan.

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