Sports

Ohio Wants Sports Betting Bill Passed Before The Summer

The proposal would open up the floodgates for competing sports betting operators in Ohio.

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Ohio is considering a piece of legislation that would legalize sports betting within its borders, and Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp says that “getting sports betting done” before the Legislature recesses for the summer is a “high priority.” The proposed law would put the Ohio Casino Control Commission in charge of regulating the law.

The proposal would open up the floodgates for competing sports betting operators in Ohio. As written, the legislation provides for up to 40 three-year sports betting licenses with 20 of those licensees being able to partner with online operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Barstool Sportsbook.

The bill also intends to allow professional sports teams in the state to apply for sports betting operator licenses, which will cost $1 million for the three-year term. Additionally, there will include a 10% tax on operators, which is higher than a discussed 8% tax rate found in prior proposals that have been introduced in Ohio. However, this is far less than its neighbor Pennsylvania, which taxes operators at a 36% rate.

Sen. Kirk Schurring (R-Canton) indicated that the casinos and racinos in Ohio were begging for a monopoly over sports betting, which was shot down in his proposal. On the other end of the spectrum is a pending proposal in Florida, which could create a true monopoly for the Seminole Tribe, where the tribe will potentially be able to fully control the location and operators for sports betting in the Sunshine State.

As stated by Cupp, the bill is expected to move quickly through both chambers of the Ohio Legislature. The plan is for the bill that includes sports betting to be heard in the Ohio Senate on May 12. That said, it is unlikely for the law, if put into place, to become effective in time for this year’s National Football League season. The effective date for sports betting, as stated in the bill, is January 1, 2022.

Darren Heitner is the founder of Heitner Legal. He is the author of How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, published by the American Bar Association, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. You can reach him by email at heitner@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @DarrenHeitner.

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