“The gambler stories are always the basically the same story,' Burke said. As a result, in the very courtroom where he practiced law for a quarter of a century, he was sentenced to three years in state prison. “I kept taking more money out of the account, more money out of the account, until finally it was all gone.$1.6 million,' Burke said.īurke would eventually turn himself in to the authorities. In reality, it was a gateway to greater problems. At the time, he viewed it as a simple, short-term solution. So, Burke dipped into his client's Escrow account and took out a check to pay people back. 'I was broke, and I owed a lot of people money.” “After three or four years, I found myself in a position I had never been in before,' Burke said. Like all other addictions, however, that activity went from casual to catastrophic. It was fun I had plenty of money I had a great law practice, so money was never an issue.” “My gambling started out in Vegas of all places,' Burke told FOX 17. Whether you like it or not, gambling is now a part of your life.įor some, like Michael Burke in Portage, gambling is nothing new. You've seen the commercials and the billboards along the highway - even if you don't participate in gambling, you can't escape it. Lawmakers gave the green light to gamble online in January 2021, helping the state hit the jackpot but putting compulsive addictions on high alert. Then, one year ago, the Michigan gambling industry went all in. It started with horse racing in 1933, before eventually expanding to casinos with card games and slots, and, in 2020, sports. Gambling is nothing new to the state of Michigan.

Michigan online gambling launch date