Legislators in Mississippi, Georgia and Washington are making an effort to expand sports betting.
Two Mississippi legislators have introduced bills to authourise mobile sports wagering. Mississippi authourised sports betting in 2018 but limited the activity to geofenced sportsbooks on land-based casino properties.
Rep Cedric Burnett filed HB 271, which is substantially the same bill as Rep Jay McKnight’s HB 635 in that both would allow bettors to wager on sports through their mobile devices whether they’re inside a casino or not.
Both bills propose graduated annual licensing fees based on gross revenue. HB 271 and HB 635 have been referred to the House Gaming Committee.
Another bill has been filed to legalise sports betting in Georgia, though this version won’t require a constitutional amendment.
SB 386 would allow up to 16 mobile sports betting licences, including those earmarked for professional sports franchises and affiliated venues for mobile and retail betting.
One licence would go to the Georgia Lottery and the seven remaining licences would be up for competitive bid. The tax rate would be set at 15 per cent of adjusted gross income.
The bill eliminates the need for a constitutional amendment as it defines sports betting as an extension of the already legal state lottery, an opinion that was given by former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton last year.
Another sports betting bill in play, SB 172, would require a constitutional amendment that requires two-thirds majority approval in both houses and approval via statewide referendum by voters.
Legislation to expand sports betting has been reintroduced in both houses of the Washington State Legislature. Sports betting is currently limited to Native American-owned gaming facilities.
HB 1630, which would authourise sports betting at cardrooms and racetracks in the state, was introduced on January 26, 2023. The bill passed first reading and was referred to the House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee, where no further action was taken.
The bill was reintroduced by resolution on January 8 and retained its original form. A companion bill, SB 5587, was also introduced last January 26.
It too passed first reading and was then referred to the Senate Business, Financial Services, Gaming and Trade Committee. No other action was taken on the bill in the last session.
The bills provide that revenue would be taxed at 10 per cent. Operators would be charged a $100,000 licensing fee. The minimum age to place a sports bet would be 18. No betting would be allowed on college sports played in Washington or by a Washington state college.
Source: Fantini's Gaming Report
