COLUMBUS – A bill to legalize sports betting in the state has been introduced in the Ohio House.
Representatives Dave Greenspan (R-Westlake) and Brigid Kelly (R-Cincinnati) introduced legislation Tuesday to establish a Sports Gaming Advisory Board designed to legalize and regulate sports gambling in Ohio.
Greenspan says the legislation would generate additional funds for public education and for problem gambling and addiction services.
A U.S. Supreme Court decision in May 2018 allows states to offer legalized betting on professional and college sports.
The bill allows the Ohio Lottery Commission to administer sports gambling, with a new 11-member advisory board initially providing research and recommendations to the commission.
A similar bill introduced in the state Senate last month places sports betting under the control of the Ohio Casino Commission.
The House version calls for an advisory board that will consist of seven members appointed by the governor, two by the Senate and two by the House. The bill states that the board would stop operating after three years.
The measure states that the Casino Control Commission would have the authority to regulate and investigate sports wagering, but only at the direction of the Lottery Commission.
The bill also levies a 10 percent tax on businesses that provide sports betting. The Senate’s version impose a 6.25% tax rate.
The tax imposed by the House version would go to the Lottery Profits Education Fund, which supports Ohio schools, with 2 percent of the taxes earmarked to address the problem gaming and addiction fund.
The Senate’s version requires the taxes to go to the state’s general fund.