Ad Disclosure
Ohio online sports betting discussions delayed until September
Published:
The June 30 Ohio sports betting legalization deadline will not be reached.
Ohio sports betting will not be discussed again until September, as state lawmakers will not approve a bill before the summer break at the end of the month.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-4) confirmed a bill would not be discussed or approved by June 30, but it would be a top priority for legislators in the fall. Despite a last minute push by the Senate to include sports betting language in existing bill HB 29, which permits certain residents to obtain Ohio veterans ID cards, too much still needed to be discussed in a short period of time.
If the bill had been approved by June 30, State Senator Kirk Schuring (R) previously said the bill would go into effect this October and the state would begin accepting applications for sports betting licenses on Jan. 1, 2022, with the goal of awarding licenses no later than April 1, 2022.
Sports betting legalization hopes suffered a serious delay by not reaching the June 30 deadline. This puts a potential launch by the start of the 2022 NFL season in jeopardy.
Ohio sports betting discussions will resume in the fall
When the legislative session resumes in the fall lawmakers will have two Ohio sports betting bills to consider. HB 29 will still be on the table, as well as the original SB 176, both of which would legalize sports betting in the state but differ in the number of available betting licenses per county.
Both bills include three types of sports betting licenses. Type A licenses include state entities that have the ability to bank a bet, such as the state’s 11 casinos and racinos. Type B licenses will be for future brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. Type C licenses allow for sports betting kiosks to be installed in retail establishments with D-class liquor licenses. SB 176 gives preference to the state’s professional sport franchises to acquire Type B licenses.
How many Ohio sports betting licenses are needed?
SB 176 only allowed for 58 total licenses in the state, while HB 29 allowed for 65 total licenses. HB 29 increased the amount of Type B licenses per county and eliminated language that gave professional sport franchises preference for the license. Casino industry representatives expressed concerns that they would be shut out of acquiring Type B licenses under SB 176 license restrictions.
“I think they had a goal to get some geographic diversity in the state, I understand that, but the unintended consequence of shutting us out is just not something that will work for the gaming companies. We’ll continue to push hard and make that argument,” Daniel Reinhard, Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs for JACK Entertainment, told Saturday Tradition in an earlier interview.
HB 29’s language and license limitations will make it much easier for a casino that shares a county with a professional sports franchise to receive a Type B license.
Ohio lawmakers will use the summer break to hash out the differences between the proposed bills and make a push to legalize when the fall session begins.
Regulatory Writer and Editor for XLMedia. Sports. Gambling. Not necessarily in that order. Follow him on Twitter @rlinnehanxl