Smooth Sailing For Indiana Sports Betting Bill As It Clears State Senate

A comprehensive gaming bill that includes Indiana sports betting easily passed the state Senate on a third reading Tuesday.

The Indiana Senate approved the bill on a 38-11 vote. The proposed legislation now moves across to the House after facing very little resistance in the upper chamber.

Indiana began considering sports betting legislation back in January. The current bill, S 552, is a combination of bills put forward by Sens. Mark Messmer and Jon Ford.

Messmer spoke on behalf of the bill in front of his Senate colleagues Tuesday. He referred to the legislation as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

What's in the IN sports betting bill

The bill's scope ranges far beyond sports betting and into movement of casino licenses and other related issues. It's the vehicle for Indiana sports betting, though, which is especially interesting in the home state of the gambling-averse NCAA.

The bill would set up mobile sports betting throughout Indiana. Bettors could register for a sports wagering account either in-person at a facility or on their smartphones.

Mobile registration proved key to the early success of New Jersey sports betting. In the Garden State, 80 percent of sports bets were made on a mobile device in January.

Casinos, racinos, and off-track betting (OTB) facilities could apply for Indiana sports betting licenses. Any of these operators would have the option to contract out with other sports betting providers.

Any subcontractor would need to apply for a license with state regulators, though.

State reserves right to restrict bets

In addition to banning e-sports betting, the Indiana sports betting bill also allows regulators to consider requests to restrict bet types:

Specifies that the IGC may act upon information received from a sports governing body in considering requests to prohibit wagering on particular events or to prohibit making wagers of a particular type

This becomes particularly relevant in light of Major League Baseball‘s odd recent request that Nevada and Pennsylvania take Spring Training games off the board.

The post Smooth Sailing For Indiana Sports Betting Bill As It Clears State Senate appeared first on Legal Sports Report.

Original source: https://www.legalsportsreport.com/29678/smooth-sailing-for-indiana-sports-betting-bill-as-it-clears-state-senate/

Relevant news