Ohio Sports Betting Legislation Won’t Pass Until This Fall

A invoice that may legalize sports activities betting in Ohio gained’t be handed till not less than the subsequent legislative session within the fall.

Last month, SB 176 superior out of the Senate and moved to the House after a 30-2 vote in favor of the laws. There had been a number of reviews, nonetheless, that lawmakers within the decrease chamber had plans to make adjustments to the invoice earlier than sending it to Gov. Mike DeWine.

Lawmakers started making adjustments as not too long ago as final week. Ultimately, the delays from these alterations had been sufficient to overlook the June 30 deadline. According to a local Fox affiliate, language within the invoice might shut out sure casinos and racinos from acquiring a sports activities betting license, which is what triggered some lawmakers to hesitate on passing the invoice in its present kind.

Speaker of the House Bob Cupp in the end killed any possibilities of passing it when he determined that he wished to carry hearings on the invoice earlier than it went up for a vote. One analyst instructed a neighborhood media outlet that Cupp “is in no rush to get this done.”

While Cupp might have been the driving power behind delaying the method, he did inform the Cincinnati Enquirer that the difficulty could be a “top priority” this fall. It echoes Gov. Mike DeWine’s sentiment from earlier this yr when he stated that legalized sports activities betting within the Buckeye State was “inevitable.”

If the invoice was handed this session, sponsors of the invoice hoped to have the licensing course of accomplished by April 2022. A launch would’ve got here shortly after. Lawmakers don’t have a brand new timeline with the current developments.