Comparison to School Shooting in Sports Betting Petition Sparks More Controversy

Arguably the hottest controversy in the Michigan sports betting sphere currently is that of the partnership between Caesars Sportsbook and Michigan State University.

As earlier reported, the partnership has been under scrutiny since last year when a New York Times article published details about the $8.4 million deal.

In response, the American Gaming Association released a new sports marketing code a few weeks back banning sportsbook partnerships with colleges.

Despite the new AGA guidelines, neither Michigan State University nor Caesars Sportsbook MI has pulled the plugs on the deal. However, a petition has now started within the university community.

Although there has been general support against sports betting advertisements on campuses, there has been a huge debate about the approach. Most Michiganders understand the impropriety of sportsbook marketing to underage players, but they claim the Michigan State University petition does not help matters.

The Michigan State petition started early in April with faculty professors calling for the dissolution of the $8.4 million partnership deal with Caesars. Barely days after the petition came to light, it already garnered 300 signatures. However, several references were made in the petition that have now stoked the fires. 

In petition, the first paragraph reads thus:

“After the tragic events at Michigan State University in February, the campus community gathered for a candlelight vigil at the Rock. We pledged to take care of our students and look after them during this challenging time.”

Apparently, the petition seems to say that protecting students against mass shootings was in some way comparable to protecting students from sports betting advertisements. Several commentators and stakeholders consider this statement insensitive. They have further argued that poor dietary options and alcoholism on campus are worse phenomenon than sports betting.

In another interesting development, there’s been some consideration about how much impact the AGA guidelines may have in the coming months. It’s quite notable that the American Gaming Association is not a government agency, nor is it a sports betting regulator. Besides, the new marketing code is not law and does not contain any sanctions against erring companies.

Due to these factors, many have argued that there would be no real punishments if Caesars Sportsbook fails to follow the new rules. It is the opinion of this writer that there may be no real consequences if state regulators do not enforce the guidelines of the American Gaming Association.

As debates continue about the status of the MSU-Caesars partnership, there’s progress in other aspects of Michigan’s sports. The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is set to induct new members and a shortlist of nominees has been released.

Former NBA Champion with the Detroit Pistons, Richard Hamilton is part of the list of candidates. Other shortlisted nominees include three-time Big Ten Softball Player of the Year, Sierra Romero, Hall of Fame NHL broadcaster, Mike Emrick and two-time Super Bowl winner, Larry Foote.

The full list of nominees and instructions for voting is available on the official MSHOF website. Voting closes May 12 and the induction ceremony will take place in September at the MotorCity Casino Hotel.

Away from sports and sports betting but still on general gambling news, Michigan players have placed tops at the just completed PokerStars US SCOOP Series. The 2023 PokerStars US Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) in the US saw Michiganders win almost $6.8m across various events, which surpassed the $5m guarantee.

This year, the Michigan players competed against New Jersey for the first time, and Michigan players won all three leader boards for the MI/NJ SCOOP. Some big competition names like LetsGoGlobal, mcleskey, and tittybumpin2 ended the tournament winning their respective leader boards.

Michigan's Jared Halter, aka BeamDoctorPoker, also found success by winning more than $18k by finishing in the top two of a pair of tournaments during SCOOP, which he did while streaming. The best player at the tournament was Binkwen, winning a mind-blowing total of four titles and walking home with $50,263.97, the Series largest prize claim.