Rep. Miller issues statement on passage of sports betting in Ohio

Says HB 29 to invest in education, veterans and gambling addiction services

December 8, 2021

Rep. Adam Miller (D-Columbus) today issued a statement on the passage of HB 29, which legalizes regulated sports betting in Ohio. Legalizing and taxing sports gaming will raise several tens of millions of dollars per year for education. Miller served as a member on the Select Committee on Gaming and was a key author of the legislation.

In addition to regulating sports gambling, the bill provides funding from those activities to schools, veterans and problem gambling support programs. Miller also fought for important language included in the bill that requires the State of Ohio to ensure sports gaming profits and proprietors are fair and consider diversity, inclusion and disparate impact across Ohio’s diverse population.

“We had to pass this legislation to keep up with other states and to ensure that Ohio wasn’t left behind, and to ensure that sports betting is open, regulated and fair,” said Rep. Miller. “Not only did we do this, we did so by providing unprecedented funding for schools, veterans and problem gambling.”

HB 29:

Legalizes sports betting at brick-and-mortar locations in Ohio and via internet and mobile devices under the regulatory oversight of the Ohio Casino Control Commission;
Creates the Sports Gaming Revenue Fund (SGRF), Sports Gaming Tax Administration Fund (SGTAF), Sports Gaming Profits Education Fund (SGPEF), Sports Gaming Profits Veterans Fund (SGPVF), and Problem Sports Gaming Fund (PSGF) in the state treasury;
Requires Sports Gaming Proprietors to hold an online/mobile, sports books, or gaming kiosks licenses, and creates the mobile management service provider license and the management service provider license;
Creates a nine-member Select Committee on Sports Gaming and Problem Gambling to investigate problem gambling and problem gambling funding, and requires the Committee to report its findings. The bill also creates the Joint Committee on Sport Gaming to monitor the implementation of sports gaming.

Sports betting is legal in 29 states and the District of Columbia. Sports betting is already legal in four neighboring states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana and Michigan.