Bills legalizing sports betting and online gambling are "expected to pass the Michigan legislature with bipartisan support, and could be on the governor's desk before the end of the week," according to Lauren Gibbons of MLIVE.com. The legislation cleared the state Senate's Regulatory Reform Committee yesterday after "amendments were made to the proposal the House passed this fall." Under the legislation, an 8.4% tax on sports bets would be "collected after winnings are paid out, slightly less" than the 8.75% originally proposed. Taxes on online gambling would range between 20-28%, "depending on how much money a casino generates" from it. Most of the money is "headed toward the School Aid Fund, which funds K-12 schools in Michigan." Another $4M a year would go to a "fund compensating firefighters who contract cancer due to exposure to smoke and chemicals while on the job" (MLIVE.com, 12/10). In Detroit, Beth LeBlanc notes the package of bills was "initially opposed" by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her administration "because of the potential impact on the state's school aid fund, but lawmakers appeared to have reached terms more amenable to the governor" (DETROIT NEWS, 12/11).
