Michigan Governor Signs Interstate Online Poker Into Law

On December 29, 2020, Gretchen Whitmer signed an amendment to the bill that authorizes interstate online poker. The Michigan Gaming Control Board will be able to facilitate agreements with regulators in other states to share online poker player pools.

This happened exactly one year and nine days from the signing of the Lawful Internet Gaming Act into law, which legalized internet gaming and poker, sports betting, and fantasy sports.

The interstate component was something that the original Lawful Internet Gaming Act was seriously lacking. Since online poker on a state-by-state regulated level shows little chance for growth and substantial revenue, the sector’s success and future depend on the ability to share poker tables with sites in other states.

The final approval officially set the online poker into motion.

While the Michigan legislature’s website didn’t show the approval until the first week of January, it appeared that Governor Whitmer signed the bill on December 29, 2020. She signed it one week after receiving it. And on that same day, the Secretary of State recorded it filed.

So, what comes next? It’s important to mention that the effective date of the interstate component of the Lawful Internet Gaming Act is March 24, 2021. No entities may sign an interstate compact involving Michigan until after that date. But that is not the top priority right now. At this stage of the game, there are no internet gaming sites available to players in Michigan whatsoever. So, the first goal is to launch the sites.

And it all points to the fact that online casino sites will launch soon. The 15 provisional licenses issued in early December indicate that several companies are preparing to virtually open their online casinos. Several of them are connected to online poker licenses as well, such as BetMGM (PartyPoker) and TSG Interactive (PokerStars). If they launch their casino games soon, they can add online poker at any time.