As lawmakers in Ohio and Kentucky mull bills legalizing sports betting, a second Greater Cincinnati casino in Indiana is launching that service today (Nov. 11).
Patrons of Rising Sun Casino Resort will be allowed to bet on sports starting with an event featuring former Cincinnati Bengals players at noon.
So far, 10 casinos across Indiana have offered sports betting since the state legalized it Sept. 1, including Greater Cincinnati’s Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg. Those casinos took $35 million in sports bets in September, made $8.6 million and generated more than $800,000 in taxes for the state.
Indiana is one of 13 states to legalize sports betting after a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed states to decide whether to allow it.
Ohio lawmakers are considering two bills that would make betting on sporting events legal. The debate among lawmakers is about who will regulate the industry and exactly what kinds of betting will be legalized, among other details.
That debate is embodied in the two competing bills currently making their way through the statehouse. House Bill 194, introduced in April and co-sponsored by Cincinnati Democrat State Rep. Brigid Kelly and Westlake Republican State Rep. Dave Greenspan, would place control of sports betting under the Ohio Lottery Commission but would delegate any investigations into the industry to the Ohio Casino Commission.
Senate Bill 111, meanwhile, would give the casino commission full control.
HB194 would also earmark the proceeds of a 10-percent tax on sports betting for public education and efforts to fight gambling addiction.
Some opponents of legalizing gambling have told members of the Ohio House that they view the industry as “predatory” and “rigged” against consumers.
“There is a faulty assumption surrounding commercialized gambling and it has led to very bad outcomes for the American people,” Stop Predatory Gambling director Les Bernal told the House Finance Committee recently. “It is a false perception that gambling is just like any other business.”
But proponents of legalization say that gambling is already happening and that the state should legalize it so it can better regulate it.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 12, 2019.