Despite the slowdown that has been caused by the coronavirus pandemic, plans are still underway for the legalization of sports betting in some US states. These plans have, of course, been underway for quite some time and it is great to see that they are actually making some progress despite the setbacks.
Perhaps the most developments are in the states of Ohio and California. If things go as planned, the residents of these two states may soon be able to place bets on their favorite sports and teams. There is still some work that needs to be done in both cases but so far, there is a lot of optimism surrounding them.
Ohio House Passes Sports Betting Bill
Earlier this year, the state’s House of Representatives voted in favor of the sports betting bill that is expected to lead to the legalization of sports betting. This was a landmark victory for the legislative bill which now heads to the Senate where it will also hopefully be approved.
There is also a separate Senate bill that will be heading to the House for discussion. The two bills have a number of differences between them but all in all, their goal is to bring sports betting to the Buckeye State.
If everything goes as planned for at least one of the two bills, we can expect to see both mobile and online betting in the state. This is certainly a point of interest especially considering how devastating the retail gambling sector has suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There is generally a lot of optimism regarding the future of the state’s sports betting sector. It is expected to bring in as much as $50 million annually once everything settles.
California Draws Closer to Legalized Sports Betting
California is one of the states that has tried so hard to hold out on the legalization of sports betting within its borders but things have begun to take a turn. With coronavirus having wreaked havoc on the state’s economy in a number of ways, the lawmakers have opted to find alternative revenue streams to fill the budget holes they currently have. Sports betting seems to fit nicely in those plans.
Last Tuesday, the California Senate committee advanced legislation which if passed will bring sports betting to the state. According to Sen. Bill Dodd, this primarily a means to “bring illegal sports betting out of the shadows and support our communities with the revenue.”
This is a very exciting development and we cannot wait to see how it all turns out in the end.
