Ohio Governor foresees ‘inevitable’ legalization of sportsbetting

The governor for Ohio has reportedly declared that it is only a matter of time before the American state follows the neighboring jurisdictions of Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Indiana in legalizing some form of sportsbetting.

According to a report from local television broadcaster WKYC-TV, Mike DeWine stated that it is now a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ sportsbetting will ever be legalized as aficionados in ‘The Buckeye State’ are already utilizing their home computers and mobile devices to place remote wagers on a wide range of professional and collegiate sports.

Persistent prevarication:

The first-term Republican reportedly went on to proclaim that this ‘inevitable’ legalization is down to the growing proliferation of sportsbetting across the United States following the 2018 revocation of the previous prohibition tied to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). He purportedly furthermore detailed that progress on sports wagering legislation passed by the Ohio House of Representatives last May has subsequently been hampered by the coronavirus pandemic and last November’s elections while a companion measure introduced into the Ohio State Senate has been stalled for two years.

DeWine reportedly declared…

“Sports gaming is already in Ohio. Ohio is just not regulating it. This is something that I think is inevitable. It is coming to Ohio.”

Increased insight:

In related news and fellow Cleveland-headquartered television broadcaster WEWS-TV used its own report to explain that the Ohio State Senate recently established a seven-member committee to investigate the possibility of bringing sportsbetting and electronic bingo games to the state of approximately 11.7 million people. This bi-partisan group is purportedly being led by Republican legislator Matt Huffman and has already begun hearing general testimony on a weekly basis so as to come to a better understanding regarding legalization and its potential economic impacts.

Expert examination:

This ensemble reportedly held its inaugural Wednesday meeting on February 10 where it heard from representatives of American regional gaming giants Penn National Gaming Incorporated and MGM Resorts International on a wide range of topics related to sportsbetting. This former firm is purportedly already responsible for the state’s Hollywood Casino Toledo and Hollywood Casino Columbus venues while the latter regularly processes around $1 billion in annual online and retail wagers via one of the oldest sportsbooks in the United States.

Adept advice:

The pair reportedly used this initial gathering to urge Ohio legislators to legalize sportsbetting under existing casino licenses at the same time as implementing a competitive tax regime that would allow operators to attract punters from across the entire region. They purportedly moreover asserted that their companies already work hard to comply with local gambling regulations so as to prevent illegal betting, money laundering and fraud, which they contended could not be guaranteed if such activities were permitted at local bowling alleys or taverns.