Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has appointed Jim Townsend of Royal Oak to chair the Michigan Gaming Control Board, effective Aug. 1 and subject to advice and consent of the Michigan Senate. He will succeed Jim Ananich, whose resignation takes effect at the end of the month, and his term as chair is set to run through Dec. 31, 2028.
Townsend will continue as director of the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy at Wayne State University Law School. Before that, he practiced law at Butzel Long’s Detroit office in the Corporate and Real Estate Practice Group, and he represented Michigan’s 26th District in the state House from 2011 to 2017.
His academic background includes highest honors in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MBA and master of public policy from the University of Michigan, and a juris doctor, cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School.
The gaming board regulates and licenses commercial casino operations, online gaming and sports betting operators, platform providers, suppliers and other parts of the state’s gambling industry. In the board’s announcement, executive director Henry Williams said Townsend’s legal, legislative and economic development background made him well suited to lead it.
In a statement through Wayne State, Townsend said gaming is a rapidly growing and evolving industry in Michigan that brings entertainment and revenue but also poses serious risks for adults with gambling addiction and for young people. He said he hoped to help the board execute Michigan’s gaming laws faithfully and serve the public interest.
Townsend will serve alongside Joni M. Thrower Davis, Mark Evenson, Deidre A. Lambert-Bounds and Andrew T. Palms. PlayMichigan reported that the board has also been active on enforcement, including court fights against unlicensed prediction market operators Kalshi and Polymarket, while Michigan online casino and iGaming revenue topped $301.2 million in June and combined gambling revenue topped $340 million.
The board’s next public meeting is set for 10 a.m. Aug. 4 at Cadillac Place in Detroit.
