With the approval of daily fantasy sports legislation last week, the state of Ohio becomes the 18th in the US to legalize the sports contests. House Bill 132 was approved in the Senate and the House, moving on to the desk of Ohio Governor John Kasich last week, which he signed into law on Friday. The bill was supported well in the state, able to pass within the Senate by a vote of 25 to 4.
With the new law, the Ohio Casino Control Commission will have oversight of the games provided. The law will set a maximum annual licensing fee of $10,000 for operators as well as no tax for those offering DFS contests. Contests via kiosks are prohibited with horse racing exempt from offerings.
The legislation saw support in Ohio from the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians, with Major League Baseball having a vested financial interest in DFS. It has been estimated that as many as 1.9 million residents in the state take part in fantasy sports every year. With the passage of legislation, residents can continue to enjoy the contests and know that their money is safe with new consumer protections in place.
Now that daily fantasy sports legislation has been approved, could Ohio move on to consider sports betting legislation? Several states have already passed laws to provide sports betting, such as Mississippi, Pennsylvania and New York, if the opportunity presents itself. The state of New Jersey was the first to pass such legislation and are currently waiting to see what SCOTUS rules in their case Christie vs NCAA.
The case is reviewing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 and if this act is unconstitutional. If ruled unconstitutional, states would have the ability to pass legislation in order to offer sports betting services. Ohio could be the next state to prepare for such a ruling. According to Legal Sports Report, Representative Jonathan Dever is the creator of this bill and stated to the news service that discussions are being made on sports betting, but the main goal was to see the DFS legislation passed first.
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