Online gambling bill introduced at the Statehouse

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — A new bill at the Ohio Statehouse is proposing the legalization of “iGaming,” or online gambling.

“I think that this is the next progression of gaming in Ohio,” Senator Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) said.

Senate Bill 312 is sponsored by Antani and would require the Ohio Casino Control Commission to contract with licensed casinos to determine which games can legally be played online.

“I think you’re going to see poker, you’re going to see roulette, you’re going to see slot machines, things like that,” Antani said, “Blackjack, any sort of card, game table, game, you’ll see allowed. That’s the idea here.”

While online gambling legalization has some bipartisan support , not everyone is on board. For example, David Corey, executive vice president of the Bowling Centers Association of Ohio, said he worries that this proposal cuts out brick-and-mortar business.

“It is definitely worrisome for our clients,” he said. “It’s hard to tell what the impact would be on the jobs front, but we know it can’t be good — taking people out of locations, keeping them in their homes on their phones.”

“This is not going to affect them at all,” Antani said. “This is simply another entertainment option on people’s phones, just like every other game they play, just like every movie that people watch.”

Corey said he thinks back to sports betting, which was supposed to be an equal playing ground for both his industry and online, but did not end up that way.

“The online sports betting folks cornered the market instantly,” he said.

He said he is trying to avoid that same scenario, and said middle ground is ensuring that the hospitality industry gets a cut of the pie too, such as an expansion of gambling kiosks. Until then, he said iGaming is a no-go in his eyes.

“We say, the whole entire hospitality community says, ‘Absolutely not, no way,’” he said. “We will fight this tooth and nail until you give something to the bricks and mortar locations.”

“People want iGaming,” Antani said. “They do it illegally now. They do it on the black market. I believe we should be able to do it safely and in a regulated way and its time to legalize this practice.”

Senate Bill 312 puts the tax rate for iGaming at 15%, which is 5% lower than what online sports betting tax rate is right now in Ohio. Lawmakers have discussed this idea for months now, but this bill was just introduced and likely won’t have its first hearing until November.

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