The Ohio legislature passed a legal sports betting bill that will allow betting to be in place by next year.
The Ohio Senate voted 31-1 and the House approved H.B. 29 with a vote of 72-12 after both chambers agreed on a deal Wednesday.
The much anticipated bill will head to Governor Mike DeWine’s desk, who is expected to sign the bill into law.
State legislatures has jumped through hoops to make sports betting legal in Ohio, but with the passage of the bill, it appears it will be legal in the very near future.
“This is going to benefit the state of Ohio economically,” said State Senator Kirk Schuring, of Canton. “In addition, we all know that sports gaming is going on right now as we speak illegally, and we’re going to put the necessary regulatory guardrails around it to make sure that it’s done correctly here in Ohio.”
With the passage of the bill, Ohio will impose a 10% tax on all licensee winnings are all bets are paid, which is similar to states around the country.
The state’s Casino Control Commission will oversee sports betting. They’ve requested all establishments that receive a license have a universal start date, which will be no later than Jan. 1 of 2023.
“We hope that it will start before then but we want to make sure we do it right, we want to make sure we have the right regulatory guardrails, we want to make sure there’s enough applicants out there who can take advantage of this new economic opportunity in the state of Ohio,” Schuring said.