Michigan authorities discuss strategies against illegal gaming
Michigan Gaming Control Board executive director Henry Williams met with Flint mayor Sheldon Neeley and state representative Cynthia Neeley.
US.- The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) executive director Henry Williams met with Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley and State Rep. Cynthia Neeley (D-Flint) to discuss strategies against illegal gaming in the state. They discussed the impact of storefront casinos and illegal gaming on residents and how such establishments impact on the reputations of regulated gaming.
The meeting was held during the “Legal, Regulated Gaming Protects Players” week designated by the American Gaming Association (AGA).
Williams said: “As a regulator, it’s important to me to have face-to-face conversations with area leaders so that we can share our knowledge and gain a more comprehensive understanding of illegal gaming issues, especially from their local perspective.
“I look forward to working with Mayor Neeley on the city’s efforts to prevent individuals from reopening a place of business under a new name in a location that was previously cited for illegal gaming operation concerns, minimize risks to his community from such establishments, and help protect Flint residents from harm.”
Mayor Neeley commented: “It is important to protect the Flint community from predatory illegal gaming operations, and I thank Director Williams for his continued partnership in this effort. These unwelcome operations threaten public safety by creating environments where other criminal activity can thrive.”
A week before the leaders’ meeting, the MGCB seized 50 gambling devices and $13,260 in suspected gambling proceeds from an alleged illegal storefront casino that was operating under the name of The Flint Arcade, located at 3301 Corunna Road. Authorities had previously conducted a raid at the same location a year earlier, on 18 August 2022, when the MGCB investigated suspected illegal gambling at The Cellular Vault.
As a result of MGCB investigations from January 2015 through July 2023, a total of 1,195 illegal machines and $470,401.98 have been seized. Additionally, since November 2022, 48 locations have received cease-and-desist letters involving 105 illegal machines.
Michigan igaming and sports betting revenue reaches $176.1m in July
Michigan’s commercial and tribal operators reported a combined $176.1m in gross Internet casino gaming and sports betting receipts in July. That’s an increase of 4 per cent compared with June’s $169.3m.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board reported that igaming gross receipts totalled $153.6m and gross sports betting receipts $22.5m. In June 2023, igaming gross receipts were $151m and gross sports betting receipts $18.3m.
Combined igaming and internet sports betting adjusted gross receipts (AGR) for July were $154.6m: $138.2m from igaming and $16.4m from internet sports betting. That’s a 1 per cent and 77.5 per cent increase, respectively, compared to June 2023. Compared to July 2022, igaming AGR was up by 18 per cent and sports betting by 16.8 per cent.
