DETROIT — Come Wednesday at 1 p.m., sports betting will be officially legal inside three Detroit casinos.
Michigan became the 20th state to pass sports betting back in December. Although people will be able to go to casinos and place their bets, they will have to wait until early next year to place bets online.
First, Michigan lawmakers need to approve a set of rules. The Michigan Gaming Control Board says it doesn't anticipate online gaming to be up and running until sometime in 2021.
Vice President of Legal Counsel at MGM Louis Theros says he anticipates online gaming will draw even more people into the casinos.
“We do know from our experience in New Jersey that internet online sports betting, internet casino gaming, does actually bring people back into the casino, because they win free room when they win a sports bet or play internet casino,” Theros said.
The MGM has created a special bar inside the casino called Moneyline. The area is equipped with large screen TVs, private lounges and a crawl along the ceiling to keep people updated on scores.
When sports betting goes live on Wednesday, people will be able to place bets on teams, including which team will win or lose or how much a team will score.
Theros says that eventually, people will be able to place bets on athletes.
“There will be some player proposition bets once the major legal baseball season starts and football extra, but just in the professional sports, not in the NCAA tournament right now,” said Theros.
Legalized sports betting is projected to bring in $19 million annually to the state of Michigan. Part of the revenue is expected to go into the School Aid Fund, and another part of the money will be invested in a fund meant to help Michigan firefighters who develop cancer due to exposure to smoke and chemicals.
