Tennessee Governor Pushes Through Sports Betting Bill

After debating for months on the legalization of sports betting, the Government of Tennessee has finally given it the green light.

Actually, Governor, Bill Lee, decided to the bill to legalize sports betting…

…but without his signature.

Nevertheless, he is still categorically against the expansion of gambling in this southern US state.

No Land-Based Sports Betting

As is stated in the bill SB0016, sports wagering will be allowed only online and via remote kiosks in Tennessee. The bill will most likely go into effect from July 1 this year.

Just last month, the House voted in favor of the bill with 51 votes, while 40 lawmakers were against it. Also, the state Senate voted for the bill with 20 votes in favor of it and 12 votes against it.

At first, there was a different version of the bill, which was named HB0001, but the Senate made a few amendments.

Governor Lee spoke openly about his opposition to the legalization of online sports betting…

…but he also said that he would allow the bill to , only without his signature.

A Word from the Governor

“I am letting House Bill 0001 become law without my signature. I do not believe the expansion of gambling through online sports betting is in the best interest of our state, but I do appreciate the General Assembly’s efforts to remove brick and mortar establishments,” Lee said in a statement.

“This bill ultimately did not pursue casinos, the most harmful form of gambling, which I believe prey on poverty and encourage criminal activity. Compromise is a central part of governing, but I remain philosophically opposed to gambling and will not be lending my signature to this cause.”

However, he also added that he is serious when he says that any efforts in the future to expand gambling in the state…

…will most certainly not receive the same treatment from him as SB0016 did.

“We see this issue differently, but let me be clear: any future efforts to expand gambling or introduce casinos in Tennessee will assure my veto,” he said.

More Details on the Tennessee Bill

According to the Tennessee sports betting bill SB0016, each operator that wants to get the license to offer its services in this state…

…will have to pay $50,000 just to apply.

Besides that, when the operator receives the license, it will have to pay $750,000 to secure the permit. When it comes to the tax on sports betting revenue, it would be set at 20%.

Also, operators will be permitted to use solely official data from sports leagues when offering their betting services.

The only exception to this rule is if a licensee can prove the governing body of a sport or sports league, organization, or association could not provide a feed of official league data for live betting.

Professional sports leagues will also have the ability to request that betting or certain types of wagering on select events be prohibited. Such a request can only be made if there is a clear reason for it.

Source:

“Tennessee Governor allows sports betting bill to into law”, Robin Harrison-Millan, igbnorthamerica.com, May 28, 2019.