LANSING, Mich. (Sept. 30, 2022) — The Michigan Senate this week passed legislation sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) to secure the state resources needed for Michigan nonprofits to hold charitable gaming parties that raise money for worthy causes.
The bipartisan legislation with Sen. Michael MacDonald (R-Macomb Township) utilizes revenue from the Internet Gaming Fund to cover charitable gaming administration and enforcement.
“Gaming parties, like bingo and poker nights, have become a major source of funding to charities throughout Michigan,” Sen. Moss said. “By creating a secured funding stream for the Michigan Gaming Control Board to administer charitable gaming, we’re helping these charities to continue to provide valuable programs and services to their communities without increasing charitable gaming fees.”
The Gaming Control Board regulates so-called “millionaire parties” — charitable gaming events where wagers are placed on games of chance customarily associated with a gambling casino with participants using imitation money or chips. The state funding source for the regulation and administration of these events was facing long-term decline while the expense of operating the program remained the same.
Senate Bills 1111 and 1112 change the source of funding to support the necessary regulatory activity from the Lottery Fund to the new Internet Gaming Fund.
Specifically, SB 1111 would add costs incurred by the gaming control director or board in the administration and enforcement of millionaire parties to the list of required expenditures of revenue generated from the taxation of online gaming in the Internet Gaming Fund. SB 1112 would fund all necessary expenses incurred by the executive director or gaming control board and enforcement of millionaire party activity from the Internet Gaming Fund.
The bills now await House action.
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