Montana Congress Supports Passage Of Three Separate Sports Betting Bills

• SB 330 legalizes licensed bookmaking at MT taverns and is on the way to the governor’s desk.
• HB 725 is pending final passage and allows the Montana Lottery to oversee a sports wagering network.
• HB 475 is a longshot that would install pari-mutuel sports wagering at state racetracks and OTBs.

HELENA, Mont. – There are three sports betting bills gathering bipartisan support in the Montana legislature. These bills include a Senate bill and a pair of House bills, all taking different approaches to sports wagering.

The most likely bill to receive the governor’s signature is House Bill 725, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Lynch (D-76). This would put legal sports betting under the umbrella of the Montana Lottery, maximizing the state’s potential revenue from the pastime.

On Tuesday, the bill passed its second reading by a tally of 32-18 in the Senate. The bill already passed the House by a vote of 88-10.

Barring a catastrophic third reading (as needed for final passage), the bill will go to Bullock’s desk.

A Different Approach In The Senate

Senate Bill 330, sponsored by Senate President Mark Blasdel (R-4), would establish a more traditional licensing process for private sportsbook operators at Montana’s many taverns and small gambling venues, taxing revenues at 8.5 percent.

Blasdel’s bill would allow for more comprehensive single-game betting options for Montana residents, contrasted against the more simplistic sports betting proffered in HB 725.

This Senate measure is slightly farther along than HB 725, having already cleared the Senate by a vote of 36-14 and the House by an even stronger 90-9.

Blasdel likes the chances for both bills, and he believes they complement one another. Speaking in favor of his bill’s House counterpart before the latter’s second reading Tuesday, he explained why.

“If the lottery version [HB 725] is the only game in town, people who aren’t satisfied with that product will have nowhere else to turn. With both models in place, the sports bettor will have more options to choose from and it will keep the odds more in check.

The Third Montana Sports Betting Bill

There is another bill in play in the Montana House: HB 475. Unlike the other bills, this proposal – sponsored by Rep. Brad Tschida (R-97) – would install a unique pari-mutuel type of sports wagering at Montana horse tracks and off-track betting (OTB) facilities.

Whereas most sports betting is house-banked, pari-mutuel sports betting would be pool-based. Players would place their wagers on various outcomes, with all the proceeds (less the house take) making up the winnings.

As with horse racing betting, this sort of pool-based wagering prevents the house from going into the red on its gambling product, though it also mitigates the potential for very big player wins outside of complex parlay bets.

However, the old saying is that three’s a crowd, and HB 475 does appear to be the odd man out. While the bill passed the House with strong numbers (87-9), it has been languishing in the Senate, where the second reading has been postponed indefinitely.

It is unclear whether or not either SB 330 or HB 725 would allow horse tracks and OTBs to offer non-pari-mutuel sports wagering, though if they don’t, it’s a good bet that some form of HB 475 will resurface in the Montana Congress at some point.

Regardless of the potential mix of Montana sports betting bills that make it into law, the big takeaway here is that Big Sky Country will almost certainly have legal domestic sports wagering up and running by the start of the NFL season in early September.

News tags: HB 475 | HB 725 | Montana | Montana sports betting | MT SB 330