Indiana’s SB 552 Clears the State’s Senate, Heads to the House

  • Senate Bill 552 clear Indiana’s Senate
  • House Speaker Brian Bosma skeptical of the bill
  • NCAA betting still debated

Indiana’s Senate has re-considered its stance on sports betting, pushing through a bill that can potentially lead to establishing a legal framework for sports betting on mainstream sports contests.

Senate Bill 552 and Indiana’s Sports Betting Future

Indiana is edging closer to a legalized sports betting industry with the Senate clearing SB 552, a document that would potentially establish a legal context in which wagers on sports contests can be placed.

By clearing the Senate with an overwhelming support of 38-11, the Senate will now have to rely on a vote in the House to see the bill sped along the legislative process. SB 552 has been vetted and approved by not only the Senate but also the Senate Public Policy Committee.

SB 552 is the brainchild of Senators Mark Messmer and Jon Ford who first introduced the bill in January, 2019. Speaking at the time of the vote on Tuesday, Sen. Messmer described the bill as a “once-in-a-generation-opportunity”.

House Blues for Indiana’s Sports Betting

Enjoy a strong support, SB 552 has definitely gathered much-needed momentum. However, the House could prove a challenging hurdle, particularly with Speaker Brian Bosma openly expressing his surprise at the news that the Senate had passed the bill.

Mr. Bosma described the bill as the “largest expansion” since 2007 and therefore something that must be examined carefully:

It’s difficult to find a place where a large expansion like that can pass. I’m surprised it had passed the Senate.

It’s indeed going to be an expansion and Mr. Bosma may be having second thoughts. Question is, is he going to oppose the bill to the point where he tilts the vote against it?

What’s Going to Happen to Indiana’s Sports Betting If SB 552 Passes?

The most debated side of the bill is the relocation of the two Gary casino licenses, which will be moving to Terre Haute. Similarly, Senators have said that the bill doesn’t constitute an expansion, because it simply re-positions the existing pawns on the board.

College sports betting is another issue that the state is rather against and the current language of the bill presupposes exclusion.

Indiana’s efforts to legalize sports betting, though, won’t end up with several relocations, as the state will seek to introduce mobile sports betting as well. In addition, various casinos, racing tracks and off-track betting facilities would be allowed to apply for a license.

No Love for Electronic Spots

Surprisingly, Indiana has it out for esports betting, or staking wagers on the outcome of video games. Indiana will also consider restricting individual sports wagers at the behest of users or at regulators discretion. This could help balance the landscape between businesses and customers.

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.

Virginia SB 1126 Clears Senate, Sports Betting Odds Better

Virginia’s SB 1126 is the state’s most famed sports betting bill, and it has just cleared the Senate. What this means is that land-based properties will be allowed to apply for licenses and offer the first sports betting opportunities in the state.

The Senate Bill Clears the Last Legal Hurdle

When Dem. Sen. Louise Lucas introduced his bill, he might have suspected how successful SB 1126 would be. Well, all speculation aside, Mr. Lucas has done very well indeed, with the Virginia Senate just clearing the document.

The Bill will also be voted on in the House of Representative later today and the Committee on Rules will try to prepare an action plan regarding the implementation of the document.

Virginia is an interesting beast when it comes to gaming, as it’s willing to accept spots betting as long as certain conditions are met. We previously explained that SB 1126 expects casinos applying for licenses to meet specific criteria, such as:

  • A minimum unemployment rate of 4%
  • A poverty rate of 20%
  • Population decline of 7% between 1990 and 2016

To top it all off, the casino will have to take it to a vote whether a casino can be built or operate, leading to multiple mini-referendum state-wide.

Tribal casinos on the other hand will be admitted in cities that have at least 200,000 people living in them with 24% of all estate tax exempted from property tax. This is quite a few hoops to jump through for the state and would be operators.

Virginia’s Sports Betting Bill Gets Senate Approval

Still, given the wide endorsement of the segment in its current form, it’s very unlikely that any future business owner would remonstrate against the proposed measures.

Speaking of the legal end of things, the taxes that will be collected from the casino sector also seem to be rather mild compared to other places.

Virginia will seek only 10% of the companies’ gross revenue, with the money being divvied up between various funds, including:

  • The Virginia Public School Construction Grants Program and Fund
  • The Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund
  • The General State Fund

Later, there will be another fund, i.e. the State Local Casino Gaming Proceeds Fund, which will help local authorities develop their regions. This outlines the betting climate in Virginia.

Meanwhile, there are two more bills to keep an eye on, including SB 1238 and SB 1356, but at this point they both seem very unlikely to pass given the momentum SB 1126 has gathered already.

Nevertheless, lawmakers are trying to push from all directions towards the ultimate goal – legalizing sports betting, which should be good news for sports aficionados and companies eyeing expansion.

Aran Malik

“Magic Malik”—as we like to call him—is not only a tech whiz but a wizard when it comes to getting obscure news hot off the press so we know exactly what’s happening and can explore and report it back to our growing and loyal readerbase.