Published: May 26, 2019

Sports gambling proposals moving forward in Ohio


Ohio lawmakers continued to move forward this week with two bipartisan plans to legalize sports gambling. A landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court has allowed other states than just Nevada allow betting.
“People are very excited to do it. I certainly am looking forward to sports betting coming to Ohio," said Kevin Braig, an attorney with the law firm Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick, LLP who has become one of the top experts on sports gambling laws. "I don't think this is something that should be rushed."
 
There are currently two plans with bipartisan support in the Ohio legislature. One bill, Senate Bill 111, would allow betting inside casinos and online through casinos. The other bill, House Bill 194, would allow the Ohio Lottery Commission to oversee sports betting. Bets would be accepted at casinos, racinos, veterans halls, fraternal halls and online.
“It’d be great if it was here for the football season, particularly for the Browns fans because there’s going to be a lot of excitement about the Browns this year," Braig said. "As a handicapper, I’d agree. The Browns will have a good team.”

Braig said nearly half the states in the country have either legalized sports betting or are in the process of doing so. Neighboring states Pennsylvania and West Virginia have already legalized it while Indiana is in the process of doing it.
“We want to ensure that Ohioans don’t feel that if they want to legally sports wager that they have to travel to our neighboring states, that they can do it here in Ohio," said Rep. Dave Greenspan (R - Westlake), one of the sponsors of House Bill 194.
 
Greenspan's legislation would allow for betting on professional sports teams, but he said Major League baseball requested minor league baseball not be included because it's more "developmental than competitive". The bill would also allow betting on college athletics but it allows the NCAA to exempt lower-profile sports which might not generate as much interest as football and basketball.
Greenspan said he hoped his bill would pass the House by the end of June so senators could begin working on it in the fall. He said it would likely take a few months to implement law so sports fans will likely need to wait until 2020 before they can place their first bets in Ohio.

https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/sports-gambling-proposals-moving-forward-in-ohio

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