Online Poker Is Now Legal in Michigan
On December 20th, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer finally signed the bill making online poker available in the state of Michigan. Apart from online poker, the long-awaited bill also legalises online sportsbetting and online casino games. Michigan thus follows in the footsteps of other American states, legalising online poker and online gambling after a challenging decade for the gambling industry.
Things really went sour for the American poker players after Black Friday, where the American authorities cracked down heavily on popular online poker rooms Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt Poker was caught in a major scandal, having run a pyramid-like business structure, ultimately owing thousands of players real money. It was a major stain on online poker in the United States, and it has taken years for the industry to rebuild its reputation.
That is finally happening now. The act in Michigan has been named the Lawful Internet Gaming Act and establishes a chief regulatory body that, among other things, will be responsible for the issuing of licenses to prospective gambling operators. The model of a chief regulatory body is something we know from other countries as well, as it has become the most popular way of administering a regulated and licensed online poker market
Things really went sour for the American poker players after Black Friday, where the American authorities cracked down heavily on popular online poker rooms Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt Poker was caught in a major scandal, having run a pyramid-like business structure, ultimately owing thousands of players real money. It was a major stain on online poker in the United States, and it has taken years for the industry to rebuild its reputation.
That is finally happening now. The act in Michigan has been named the Lawful Internet Gaming Act and establishes a chief regulatory body that, among other things, will be responsible for the issuing of licenses to prospective gambling operators. The model of a chief regulatory body is something we know from other countries as well, as it has become the most popular way of administering a regulated and licensed online poker market
