Ohio is running behind other states in legalizing and regulating sports betting, but some lawmakers believe that a bill on the matter would be passed and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine by the end of the legislative session next spring.
In other states where athletic gambling has become legal in the past year and a half since the US Supreme Court struck down the long-standing federal ban on the practice, some of the most pressing issues before legislators were whether betting on collegiate games should be allowed and whether and where mobile betting should be authorized.
Ohio has two bills that call for the authorization of betting on college sports and for mobile betting to be permitted anywhere within the state. In addition, it should be noted that the legalization of sports betting has gained quite some traction in the Legislature.
The point that splits wagering proponents is whether the practice should be regulated by the Ohio Casino Commission or the Ohio Lottery Commission.
Senate Bill 111 would give the Casino Commission with regulatory authority and would allow the state’s 11 casinos and racinos to provide sports betting services. They will be taxed at 6.25% on their wagering revenues.
On the other hand, House Bill 194 would task the Lottery Commission with regulating the state’s betting industry and would tax operators at 10%. Tax revenue would be allocated to education and gambling addiction prevention and treatment programs.
According to Sen. Sean O’Brien, sponsor of the Senate bill, the state would receive between $8 million and $12 million annually from legal sports betting.
Pushing Out the Black Market
Although sports betting is illegal in Ohio, placing a wager on a sporting event or an element of a sporting event is no strange to residents of the state and legislators are well aware of that.
Commenting on the issue, Rep. Dave Greenspan, the sponsor of the House bill, said that pushing out the black market is just as important to him as generating tax revenue from sports wagering.
The House lawmaker went on that illegal mobile betting apps do not refer bettors to gambling addiction assistance, do not report suspicious betting activity to sports leagues, and cannot be subjected to regulatory oversight and action because they are often operated from outside the United States.
Earlier this year, Rep. Greenspan obtained an opinion from the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, according to which sports betting was a game of chance and could be treated as a lottery product.
As a result, his bill, if enforced, would allow for the opening of sports betting facilities at about 1,200 fraternal and veterans organizations and 3,000 bars that operate lottery terminals.
According to Jermaine Ferguson, coordinator of the American Legion Department of Ohio, the authorization of sports betting at veterans organizations would bring younger veterans on board.
The Senate sports betting bill would only allow sportsbooks at the state’s casinos and racinos. Sen. O’Brien has recently voiced concerns that allowing thousands of sportsbooks across the state would generate enormous costs and might not be the most feasible move. Other Senate lawmakers, including Senate President Larry Obhof, have sided with their colleague and bill sponsor.
As mentioned above, what both bills agree on is that betting on college sports should be allowed in order for bettors to be lured away from the black market. In addition, both bills do not limit mobile wagering action to retail facilities and instead allow for mobile bets to be placed anywhere in the state.
Source: Legal sports gambling in Ohio by next year ‘a safe bet’, The Beacon Journal
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