Ohio Senate May Hear About Not One But Two Sports Betting Bills In July

At last, Ohio is prepared to take steps towards legalizing sports betting.

Last month, after months of steady progress, the state’s House of Representatives ultimately passed a sports betting bill.

Nonetheless, the House bill must still go through a process before it can become law.

Firstly, it needs to surpass a rival bill from the Ohio Senate. Although both bills aim to legalize sports betting, the details are where they differ.

The bill from the House backs education.

The bill proposed by the House recommends a 10% tax rate on sports betting in Ohio.

The proposed legislation intends to allocate a substantial portion of tax income to bolster K-12 public school education statewide. A lesser amount of the funds would be directed towards efforts aimed at preventing and addressing gambling addiction.

The House is proposing a bill to grant the Ohio Lottery Commission the authority to regulate sports betting in the state. They are advocating for this regulatory power to be given to the commission.

State Representative Brigid Kelly, the sponsor of a House bill, is focused on ensuring that the money of Ohio’s residents stays within the state’s economy.

Hence, residents of Ohio interested in sports gambling have no option but to spend their money in a different state, or resort to contacting ‘their guy’, as far as I comprehend. However, we possess the ability to alter this situation.

The resistance encountered by the House bill is partly attributed to its proposed utilization of sports betting data.

The suggested law mandates the use of official league data by sportsbooks, with the goal of ensuring the utmost integrity in betting.

However, sports leagues have been pushing for the inclusion of a particular detail in the bill from the start. This implies that if Ohio sportsbooks need official league data, they would be compelled to buy it straight from the sports leagues.

The aim of the Senate bill is to completely avoid that situation.

The Senate sports betting bill has the support of Gov. DeWine.

The push to introduce sports betting in Ohio has been underway for over a year.

After listening to both pitches in May 2019, Gov. DeWine expressed his support for the Senate bill.

However, from that point onward, he has largely assumed a subordinate role. With the state government operating independently, the progress has been slow and steady.

The Senate bill proposes a sports betting tax rate of 6.25%, which is not just lower than the House’s suggested rate of 10%, but also less than Indiana’s 9.5% sports betting tax rate.

The Senate’s bill proposes utilizing tax revenue to strengthen Ohio’s general revenue fund, which supports the state’s fundamental daily operations.

The Senate and House bill differ significantly in terms of industry oversight. The Senate bill proposes that the Ohio Casino Control Commission should have authority.

This would result in Ohio implementing a regulatory framework like that of Indiana, where the state’s casinos and sports betting are managed by the same governing body.

What is the future of sports betting bills in Ohio?

The House bill, having been passed by the committee, now faces the challenge of navigating through the state Senate. This could pose a substantial conflict, considering the Senate’s inclination towards its own bill.

There’s not much happening in Ohio’s legislature this month, but the situation could change in July.

The Senate’s schedule indicates that there could be two sessions on July 21-22. The July 22 session is confirmed, while the July 21 session is tentative and will depend on if the Senate requires additional time.

Nonetheless, it is still uncertain whether the Senate will conduct hearings for either bill in those sessions. The House is eager to have its bill on DeWine’s desk by this fall, which could potentially alter the sequence of events.

Should the House demonstrate authentic commitment, the bill’s sponsors could potentially engage in discussions with their Senate counterparts to address any disparities. A mutual agreement on an amended, harmonized bill could prompt the Senate to schedule hearings in July, with the goal of preserving the agenda for the fall.

State Representative Dave Greenspan, a key sponsor of the House bill, is optimistic about starting discussions and believes that the two parties will also come to a consensus.

Without a doubt, a solution for this issue will be found. We simply haven’t yet had a chance to fully engage with the Senate on the matter. It’s essential that we complete this task and get the process underway.

It is still uncertain whether the Senate is eager to make progress this summer. However, if it happens, July could symbolize a considerable move towards legalization.