An online gambling bill in Michigan has moved out of committee towards a potential Senate vote.

The question now remains whether the bill has a legitimate shot of passing or if this is a non-event.

S 203 Passes Stacked Committee Vote

Michigan's latest attempt to legalize iGaming, S 203, passed the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee by a vote of 7-1 on Wednesday.

While this seems like a huge win for the bill on the surface, the reality is that committee passage was virtually guaranteed from the onset.

Many of the co-sponsors of the bill serve on the committee and one must remember that a similar measure passed with just a single dissenting vote last year.

Overall, the hearing was relatively anticlimactic with only a handful of witnesses testifying. Frankly, there was no real reason to press the battle at this stage as the bill was guaranteed to move forward.

Bill Has Little Industry Support in Michigan

One point of concern regarding this bill is the general lack of real support for the measure by various industry members in the state.

Firstly, many of Michigan's tribes oppose the measure and those that haven't come out in opposition have merely refused comment on the bill.

Next, the MGM Grand Detroit has taken a neutral stance on the matter, which at this point is just as bad as opposing the matter.

With little positive support from casinos or tribal governments, one has to wonder whether this bill will move forward from here.

Was This a Non-Event?

At this point online poker site supporters in Michigan should slow their roll and wait for any positive developments outside of this story.

Keep in mind that last year's measure passed out of committee but never moved forward to a vote in the Senate.

Frankly, the support simply isn't there outside of the legislature at this point and we can look at California as the litmus test as to what will happen when there's a lack of significant industry support for a gambling bill.