DETROIT – Onsite sports betting is set to go live at Michigan casinos just in time for the NCAA basketball tournament.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) announced Friday that casinos will be authorized to conduct onsite sports wagering beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 11. The Board is anticipated to give final approval on Tuesday after presentations by the three Detroit commercial casinos at its public meeting at Cadillac Place in Detroit. All preliminary requirements have been met to go live the next day, the Board said.
Michigan’s Legislature voted to legalize sports betting and internet gambling late last year.
“With just 11 weeks to prepare, MGCB staff worked hard to make the launch of onsite sports betting at the Detroit casinos possible by March Madness,” said Richard S. Kalm, MGCB executive director. “The casinos and their suppliers helped us by their timely efforts to share information we needed to authorize the gaming. This new gaming opportunity has been highly anticipated, and we hope citizens will enjoy it and see benefits from additional revenue to both the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit.”
The MGM Grand Casino in Detroit already has unveiled its Moneyline sports betting bar, and now it has several kiosks ready to be fired up just a few feet away. The kiosks are an added layer of convenience for gamblers to place bets.
The “March Madness” NCAA tournament begins March 17. It has been expected in-person sports betting would be ready to go by then. Rules for online betting, however, will still be a little ways away.
Read back: Michigan’s Legislature votes to legalize sports betting, online gambling