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The Michigan Gaming Control Board has written $150,000 in checks to school booster clubs this year, and what’s left of it is already spoken for.
The agency announced the milestone Sept. 2, the same week Responsible Gaming Education Month kicked off nationally, an annual push led by the American Gaming Association to get responsible gambling messaging in front of more people.
More than 30 booster clubs have signed on since the High School Boosters Program launched in March, from Allen Park to Vassar, Hancock to Menominee, Troy to Port Huron. Clubs earn up to $4,000 apiece for running MGCB-approved prevention messaging on scoreboards, in game-day programs, on social media and in school newsletters.
An initial $100,000 pool is fully committed. A second $50,000, meant to carry the program through the rest of the state’s fiscal year, is gone too.
Every dollar of both, before the books even close, said MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams.
“Responsible Gaming Education Month is the perfect moment to celebrate this exciting milestone. Together, we have successfully distributed $150,000 in funding to booster clubs across the state, and the additional $50,000 we committed to close out this fiscal year is already spoken for.”
How did this campaign get here?
The boosters program launched in March under the Don’t Regret the Bet banner, aimed narrowly at high school sports. In May, the MGCB folded it into a bigger campaign called Don’t Bet on Your Future, built for parents, coaches, and whole neighborhoods, not just students.
The message it pays clubs to spread is aimed at teenagers who’ve grown up surrounded by sportsbook advertising.
That growth is happening against a gambling market that keeps setting its own records. Michigan’s online casinos alone pulled in $301.2 million in June, up 25.2% year over year, part of a stretch that has seen six of the last seven months top $290 million.
A hundred thousand dollars barely registers against numbers like that. It is still the biggest single pool this specific program has ever had to hand out at once.
When can other clubs apply?
A new pool opens Oct. 1, when Michigan’s fiscal year turns over. Booster clubs interested in signing on can apply at DontBetOnYourFuture.org.
It is the only stack of money in this whole program that is not already spoken for, Williams said.
“Congratulations to everyone involved in reaching this remarkable achievement. It reflects the hard work, commitment, and teamwork that have made this program such a success. The demand we’ve seen tells us this program is working, and we’re not stopping here: another $100,000 becomes available Oct. 1, so there will be more opportunities for booster clubs to get involved soon.”
