Ohio lawmakers introduce bill to legalize online casinos
Ohio State Senator Nathan Manning has proposed a bill to expand igaming in Ohio to include online casino and poker.
SB 197 was read at the Senate Select Committee on Gaming on Wednesday and also included provisions to legalize online lottery games and online horse racing betting.
The bill proposed taxing land-based casino operators that own 50% or more of an online casino at 36% with a US$50 million license fee for five years. That license could be renewed for a US$5 million fee.
Meanwhile, casinos that partner with a third-party online casino operator would face a 40% tax and US$100 million licensing fees.
Manning’s proposal also suggests cutting the retail sports betting tax from 20% to 10% and removing the word ‘free’ from gambling advertising. Additionally, the bill proposes removing gambling commercials from college campuses.
Manning said during the hearing, “We kind of put this together very quickly, but I will say we’ve been working on this for years.”
He estimates that legalizing online casinos in Ohio would bring in up to US$1 billion in annual revenue for the state. His proposal would funnel 99% of this to the state’s general revenue fund, with the remaining 1% redirected to the fund for problem gambling.
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