Ohio Sports Betting Bill Back On Track As House Reconvenes

• Ohio’s House and Senate have reconvened and legislators are hoping to come together and agree to regulate a sports betting industry.
• The Senate has passed SB 176 while the House is pushing for HB 29, both bills would open sports wagering in Ohio.
• These measures have been stalled for months, as both branches have failed to come to an agreement on the market.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sports betting fans in Ohio have been waiting a long time for regulated sports betting and lawmakers are once again attempting to come to an understanding as they’ve done in the past with results coming too late.

A joint committee between the Senate and the House will be discussing the Senate bill that has been stalled in the House since the legislature’s summer break.

As both committees reconvene, there is a drive to push sports betting measures to the forefront. Will Ohio sports betting finally pass before the session ends in December?

Senate Bill To Be Reviewed

SB 176 would bring online sportsbooks and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks to Ohio. The bill passed in the Senate to a 30-2 vote.

When brought to the House of Representatives, the bill was not reviewed and lawmakers pushed back discussing the legislation until the House came back from summer break.

The House is pushing for their own bill,  HB 29 so the lack of interest in reviewing the Senate bill at the time could be due to wanting to push their own legislation forward.

The Senate called for the joint conference committee between Senate and House so that lawmakers in the Senate could advocate for their bill. No date for this committee hearing has been set.

As the legislator will run until December 31, there is ample time for amendments to be made to either bill and have a vote for Ohio to finally get a regulated sports wagering market.

What Would Sports Betting Look Like In Ohio?

Based on the Senate’s proposed bill, there would be 25 online licenses available but there could be more skins as discussions take place.

Local professional teams like the Cleveland Cavilers and Cleveland Browns could have their own sportsbooks, similar to the Arizona sports betting market.

There could be up to 40 physical operations. This stipulation comes from an amendment, as the original SB 176 allowed for just 11 retail operators. The state would see a 10% revenue tax from regulated sports betting as well.

If the bill manages to pass, sportsbooks could begin launching in Ohio in 2022. However, the House and Senate have failed to come to an agreement in the past but hopefully, this will not be a repeat of the 2020 session.

News tags: Columbus | HB 29 | Les Bernal | Ohio | Ohio House | Ohio Legislature | Ohio Senate | SB 176 | Tom Roberts