Legislation
US – Tennessee to pass sports betting bill without Governor’s signature
By Phil - 2 May 2019
Despite having a governor firmly against the idea of sports betting, Tennessee looks set to approve online betting with the House voting 58 to 37 in favour and the Senate doing likewise by 19 to 12.
The bill now moves to Governor Bill Lee, who, according to press secretary Laine Arnold, will pass it without his signature.
The bill will permit sports betting over the internet and via mobile apps, without any physical sports betting locations being required in the state. The initial plan to have in-person registration with betting kiosks in situ around the state were removed from the bill.
The Governor’s Press Secretary Laine Arnold said: “The governor has said he does not believe that the expansion of gambling is best, but he recognizes that many in the legislature found this to be an issue they want to explore further. He plans to let this become law without his signature.”
The tax rate has been set at 20 per cent with the licence fee set at $750,000. Sportsbook operators will need to purchase official league data from the sporting leagues, the first time legislative has forced such an agreement.
The new sector will be governed by the Tennessee Education Lottery and is expected to generate $41m each year for the lottery, $7.6m for local governments and $2.5m for to fund problem gambling programs.
State Representative Antonio Parkinson of Memphis said: “The best part of this for the state of Tennessee is the opportunity it’s going to provide in education. This will help to get more money put into the coffers for our Hope scholarships and hopefully help a lot of students and families.”
Tennessee has joined Montana, Indiana and Iowa on the list of states poised to allow sports betting.
Caption: Governor Bill Lee
