Michigan governor proposes new sports betting tax
Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed budget includes a per-wager fee for sports betting.
US.- Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has released her proposed budget for the next financial year, including a new per-wager fee for sports betting. She argues that the move would help stabilise Medicaid funding in the state.
The new fee would work along the lines of the fee approved in Illinois last year. Sportsbooks would pay 25 cents for each bet on their first 20m wagers per year, and 50 cents per bet thereafter.
In Illinois, representative Daniel Didech recently introduced a bill that aims to eliminate the fee. The Illinois Gaming Board reported a 15 per cent drop in sports bets for September last year after Governor Jay Robert Pritzker approved the new fee. Maura Possley, a spokesperson for the Sports Betting Alliance of Illinois, said that there were five million fewer bets placed compared to September 2024.
Michigan igaming revenue rises in December
Michigan’s commercial and tribal online gaming operators reported a combined $399.8m in gross receipts from igaming and online sports betting in December. That’s an increase of 19.2 per cent compared to November.
Igaming gross receipts were a record $315.8m, surpassing the previous high of $278.5m recorded in October 2025. Gross sports betting receipts totalled $84m, down from November’s $87.3m.
