Gambling on the NCAA Tournament would become legal if legislation proposed by a state representative passes.
Rep. Kim Meltzer, R-Clinton Township, is drafting legislation that would legalize gambling in NCAA basketball pools.
Meltzer did not answer or return calls from The State News but did issue a statement.
"There are plenty of things we need to be worried about in Michigan these days," Meltzer said. "People enjoying the NCAA college basketball tournament and having fun with their friends and colleagues shouldn't be one of them."
The law would exempt NCAA brackets from the definition of gambling under Michigan law, but would institute limits that would set the maximum entry fee for pools at $20 and the number of entrants per pool to 100 people.
The law also would require the revenue generated in the pool to be divided among the participants.
Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, said people should have the right to gamble if they're doing so responsibly.
"There are elements of gambling like office pools and playing poker on Friday nights in your basement that shouldn't be illegal," he said.
Meltzer hopes the legislation, which has to pass through both the state House and Senate and be approved by the governor, can go into effect before next year's tournament, said Brian Forest, Meltzer's spokesman.
"What makes March Madness unique is that all kinds of people and sports fans of all levels fill out their brackets and enjoy the tournament," Meltzer said in the statement. "It's a crime, we consider that a crime and I want to change it."
Under the state's current law, those who place as little as $5 in a tournament pool can be punished with a maximum fine of $1,000, or be imprisoned for up to a year.
The East Lansing Police Department doesn't seek out people who gamble in tournament pools, but will respond to any complaints associated with them, said Capt. Kim Johnson.
"If we receive a complaint, we have to go out and investigate it, that's part of our job, but I can't remember the last time anyone called to report gambling," Johnson said.
It shouldn't be illegal for people to gamble via tournament pools if the stakes are reasonably low, physiology senior Phil Strauss said.
"If you're not gambling for a lot of money, then it shouldn't be illegal," he said. "To me, $50 seems like a lot of money — anything less than that should be legal."
Meadows would vote to pass this bill, but he said there's one adjustment he wouldn't mind seeing.
"I wish instead of limiting pools to 100 individuals, she limited them to 110, so that we could have our own House of Representatives bracket pool," he said.
