Kalm reappointed as Michigan’s chief horse racing official

Richard Kalm has been reappointed to a second term as Executive Director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board, the state’s regulatory body for horse racing.

Kalm serves as Michigan’s de facto racing commissioner, granted the authority by an executive order from former governor Jennifer Granholm, who dissolved the state’s original Office of Racing Commissioner in January 2010. Prior to that order, the state’s horse racing operations were conducted under the Department of Agriculture.

Kalm was appointed as the board’s executive director by Gov. Granholm in March 2007, and he was reappointed by current governor Rick Snyder in May. His new six-year term expires June 2, 2019.

A resident of Romeo, Mich., Kalm previously served over 30 years with the Macomb County Sheriff’s office, retiring as Chief of Staff.

In addition to its horse racing responsibilities, the Michigan Gaming Control Board licenses and regulates Detroit’s three commercial casinos and their suppliers, and oversees the state’s 23 Native American casinos to ensure compliance with compacts between the tribes and the state.