Ohio Senate approves sports betting legalization
Bill SB 176 will now go to the House for consideration.
As reported yesterday on Gaming America, the bill, which aims to legalize sports betting across the state, moved out of committee on Tuesday, with the Senate set to vote on Wednesday.
The Ohio Senate has now approved the legislation along with a bill set to allow college athletes to profit from the use of their names, likenesses and images.
Bill SB 176, would allow a total of 53 licenses to be issued for betting on professional and college sports. An amendment suggested in committee saw the total licenses raised from 40 to 53.
The Senate has approved the law by a vote of 30-2.
SB 176 will allow for three types of sports betting licenses. Type A will be issued to mobile and digital platforms, with type B being reserved for land-based establishments. An amendment suggested in committee has seen a third license added, type C will allow for betting kiosks to be opened at restaurants bars and nightclubs.
A $200 per-day betting limit will be imposed on these type C kiosks. Betting will be limited to total points scored in a game and odds-based bets on which team will win.
The law will also allow electronic bingo at fraternal and veterans organisations.
The Ohio professional sports coalition have said in a statement: “Our coalition is grateful for the care in crafting a bill providing opportunities for fair market access to Ohio’s pro sports organizations, which produces the games that make sports betting possible,”
Alongside bill SB 176, the college athlete compensation bill has been unanimously approved by the Ohio Senate. This will prevent universities and colleges from punishing athletes for being compensated in regards to their performance or likeness.
This compensation could include sponsorship deals, but the law will not allow for sponsorships from alcohol, tobacco or marijuana producers.
Ohio will be the 17th state to grant college athletes permission to receive this type of compensation since 2019.
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