No dice for legal sports betting in Ohio in 2018

Most US states are currently working towards the legalisation of sports betting after the Supreme Court ruling, but it seems Ohio State needs to do more to allow the practice.

According to lawmakers, the state may need to amend its constitution to allow sports betting.

Media outlets are reporting that Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof says the sports gambling bill introduced in July would go to a committee after the November midterm elections. He, however, added that the bill would not be debated this year.

“I think there is a pretty serious legal question of, irrespective of the federal court decision this year-whether or not we could even have sports gaming here, if that’s something the legislature could even authorize, even if they wanted to,” Obhof said.

The current Ohio Senate Bill 316, which was written by Senators Sean O’Brien and John Eklund has only one session that states, “It is the intent of the General Assembly to develop and enact legislation legalizing sports wagering.”

On this, O’Brien indicated that the objective is for the bill’s text to be added upon consultation with stakeholders.

According to Obhof, going by the current state of the Ohio Constitution, the only forms of gambling allowed in the state include casinos, which were legalised in 2009 via a constitutional amendment. He, however, revealed that he would not vote for any amendment to allow sports gambling.

The co-author of the bill, Eklund, in a report by said it would be prudent to determine if a constitutional amendment is needed. He noted that Obhof “is right to bring up the issue,” and that “[there is] nothing simple about this… [We have to] make sure we do it right.”