Ohio’s Select Committee on Gaming received 45 potential amendments to its sports betting bill, SB 176, last week, but lawmakers remain confident the bill will be settled by June 30.

Appearing on Canton Morning News with Pam Cook on 1480 WHBC, Schuring said 45 amendments were submitted to the committee by the deadline of Friday, June 11, at 4 p.m. Schuring and several committee members worked over the weekend to review and summarize the potential amendments into one over arching amendment to offer to the Select Committee on Gaming today.

“The plan is to vote the bill out of committee on Tuesday, have it on the Senate floor on Wednesday, and then send it over to the House for consideration…We want to get this done, in both the House and the Senate, by June 30,” Schuring said.

The committee meets today at 3:30 p.m.

No exclusivity in Ohio sports betting bill

Introduced a month ago, the bill includes two types of sports betting licenses. Type A licenses will 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. Twenty licenses of each type will be available for interested parties. A 10% tax rate will be set on sports betting revenue.

Both Type A and Type B licenses will allow for online sports betting partnerships. These partnerships will be decided by the free market and no special considerations will be made for any entities in the process.

“The general themes are a free market approach, no exclusivity. Under our current law and constitution, the casinos and racinos have exclusivity under the Ohio constitution and the revised code. We have a whole new market we’re opening up called sports gaming, we want to make sure that market is free. We want to make sure as we look at new entrants that there is an economic value that they’ll bring to the equation, that the state of Ohio will benefit economically because of it. We want to make sure we have the proper regulatory safeguards.” Schuring said.

Several potential sports betting options for Ohio

The bill will allow for a three pronged approach to sports betting, he said. The bill allows for brick-and-mortar sportsbooks for in-person sports betting and dining, online sports betting through mobile phones and finally retails sports gaming offered through the Ohio lottery. The Ohio lottery offers self-service kiosks to certain retail establishments in the state, and if sports betting is legalized they will include sports betting opportunities for residents as well.

During its last meeting, the committee updated the bill to include the follow:

  • Management service providers will pay a non-refundable fee of $500,000 for both Type A and Type B licenses in years two and three. The initial fee for a license is $1 million.
  • The $500,000 non-refundable fees will go towards education and problem gaming.
  • Betting on E-sports will be allowed.
  • Betting on horse racing will be allowed through online apps and in sportsbooks.
  • Management service providers may hold two Type A licenses. After having the first for a year, the provider may apply for a second.
  • Betting on events that include participants under the age of 18 will be prohibited.