COLUMBUS – The Ohio House Thursday approved a bipartisan bill to legalize sports gambling and tax the proceeds to support education.
The bill would create a 10 percent sports wagering tax, which would be earmarked for public education and gaming addiction, according to Rep. Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati), who co-sponsored the legislation with Rep. Dave Greenspan (R-Cleveland).
The bill creates a Sports Gaming Advisory Board and places sports gambling under the control of the Lottery Commission, which steers profits toward schools.
Kelly and Greenspan say the Legislative Service Commission estimates the tax would generate about $17.8 million in revenue for the 2021 fiscal year and up to $23.7 million in 2022.
The measure faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, where a competing bill that would place sports wagering under the supervision of the Casino Control Commission.
If either version, or a compromise, is passed and signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio would be the 12th state to legalize sports gambling since the US Supreme Court lifted a ban in 2018.