HUGE news for regulated statewide online poker fans in the United States.

Michigan House Bill 4926 (Lawful Internet Gaming Act) has passed the Senate in an eleventh-hour effort involving lawmakers and stakeholders from various casino/gaming interests.

https://www.mibets.com/michigan-offe...-casino-games/

https://twitter.com/ppapoker/status/1075958279497531392

If passed by the MI House of Representatives (as expected) and signed by Gov. Rick Snyder (uncertain at this time), Michigan would become the fifth state to formally license real money online poker games (Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware) in the United States.

https://twitter.com/OPReport/status/1075975164376973314

The news comes as a rumored revision of the USDOJ Office of Legal Counsel's (OLC) opinion/interpretation of the Wire Act. This could possibly affect existing and future "compacts" between iGaming states, such as the one which currently exists between NJ/NV/DE), but that's all speculation until a revision is released (more info in this 2+2 Poker Legislation thread).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sheldon Adelson's Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling (CSIG) released news of the rumored USDOJ revision to their own social media followers yesterday, and the feedback has been almost 100% negative towards a federal ban on online poker/casino/sports betting.

https://twitter.com/StopNetGambling/...78849504403456

More breaking news.

The Michigan House of Representatives has also approved the Lawful Internet Gaming Act, which would formally regulate real money online poker games some time in 2020.

https://www.onlinepokerreport.com/33...g-bill-vote-2/

"The 'lawful internet gaming act' cleared one Senate committee and both chambers over the course of the long night, crossing all but one final hurdle. The bill now moves to the desk of Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature." (Eric Ramsey via OPR)

pretty cool.

First weed, now poker? Michigan is quickly becoming the best state in the Midwest.

a step in the right direction!

good idea

I am going to be the party pooper here but sorry. Do not count your chickens before they're hatched. I hate IF's. Only AFTER it's signed off by Ricky will I then celebrate but not before. After all, it was another Republican who once said - Trust but VERIFY.

I understand the sentiment for sure. Seems you have a reasonable case to feel this way, and it's also encouraging that you feel strongly enough about the topic to share your feelings about it.

If signed by Gov. Rick Snyder, the Michigan Lawful Internet Gaming Act could turn out to be a major stepping stone towards a superior regulated U.S. online poker market compared to what is currently available.

Go Michigan!

Congrats Michigan!

The slow train is a runnin.

It won't be running if the lackies in the Justice Department help their boss pay his end of the Adelson donations devils bargain and re-work the Wire Act to crush interstate compacting.

I can play poker in NY now that Ignition has come back into the void. Although good news about Michigan the legalized sites lack any sort of traffic.

It would appear that you were correct. Reports that the online poker bill was vetoed by Gov. Rick Snyder today.

https://www.mibets.com/gov-rick-snyd...ne-casino-law/

https://www.onlinepokerreport.com/34...gambling-veto/

Gov. Snyder vetoed this bill citing concerns about cannibalization of state revenues from the land-based casinos and the Michigan online lottery. I suspect that if the bill was for iPoker alone, it would not have met the same resistance. But the bill authorized all online casino gaming, and set the stage for authorization of online sports wagering as well.

Ironically, it is one of those instances I take no joy in being correct. Unfortunately, I am not surprised by the actions of this son of a ... even though I am pissed off by them nonetheless.

The cannibalization concerns relate to the School Aid Fund which would have seen a decrease in revenues mostly due to gamblers forgoing the low payout iLottery scratch card games (which have been deliberately designed to look like slots) in favor of online casino games.

Because of the way in which tax revenues from online gambling were going to be distributed, the decrease in School Aid Fund revenues would not have been replaced.

It probably wasn´t a difficult issue to resolve, and it was one picked up by the House Legislative Analysis in 2017 (source). IDK why Iden overlooked it nor why Snyder left it until it was too late to say something.

Maybe cannibalization concerns weren´t the real reason for the veto at all!!!

Stupid Governor Rick Snyder veto'd the bill, so we came all the way to having internet gambling and he took it away.....

crappiest state ever, sigh

Look, if somebody does NOT pay off these political leeches ( Govs , Senators, Reps, Presidents ) , they will not support anything! That is the system everywhere.