The United States has been transforming its online gaming industry for some time with the industry evolving more rapidly than ever. One of the oldest gambling establishments in the USA Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) is said to be launching its BetAmerica brand in the state of Michigan after entering into an agreement with the Hannahville Indian Community.
Michigan is in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions of the United States where approximately 10 million live. Churchill Downs will open a retail sports book with the Hannahville Indian Community’s Island Resort & Casino in the city of Harris. The firm will also launch a online sports betting site and casino available in the whole state. The tribal community is happy to have a wider range of options for gamblers visiting the casino and is optimistic the variety will attract more customers to their property.
Chief operating officer for Churchill Downs Bill Mudd, commented on the partnership agreement, “Guests of Island Resort and Casino as well as online players in Michigan will be able to access sports betting, the best in online casino games and unique promotions through BetAmerica.”
Michigan has still not launched its version of online gambling but last December 2019 Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed into law three bills that legalized online gambling, sports betting, and daily fantasy sports betting opportunities. The original plan was to have online gambling launched by early 2021, but now the launch date may be accelerated because of the pandemic. The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) began accepting online gambling applications July first. Executive director Richard S. Kalm said: “We expect to launch internet gaming and online sports betting by late 2020 or early 2021.”
The BetAmerica brand has sports betting availability in Indiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey and terrestrial casino operations in eight different states. Churchill Downs Inc also owns TwinSpires, the largest online horse betting brand in the US market.
