Led by State Rep. Allan Morrison, Indiana lawmakers plan to discuss legal sports betting in a July 2018 hearing.
Indiana state lawmakers plan to address sports betting in July meeting at the Statehouse. State Rep. Alan Morrison (R-Brazil) has been a proponent of legal sports betting for years, but now he is ready to introduce a formal sportsbook legalization bill in Indiana.
On Monday, Rep. Morrison told Tristate his opinion of a recent Supreme Court decision to end a federal ban on widespread sports betting, saying, “Ultimately, I think it’s a great thing for our gaming industry and at the end of the day, it’s a win for states’ rights.”
Morrison’s political allies want to take advantage of the newly-permissive environment for legal sports betting, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 25-year old sports betting ban, the PASPA.
The SCOTUS decision allowed 46 states with no sports betting to legalize sportsbooks, while letting 3 other states with sports lotteries to offer single-game sports wagers for the first time.
Allan Morrison on Legalizing Sportsbooks
Already, the states of New Jersey and Delaware have legalized single-game sportsbooks for their casinos and racetracks. Alan Morrison and his political allies want to do the same for Indiana.
The bill would legalize sports betting in Indiana’s thirteen gaming facilities, as well as the state’s off-track betting facilities. Alan Morrison believes well-crafted sports betting legislation would bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Indiana’s gaming industry, while producing tens of millions of tax revenues for the state.
Council on Problem Gambling
Christina Gray, who serves as Executive Director of Indiana’s Council on Problem Gambling, said legalizing sports betting in Indiana would be a mistake. Christina Gray said, “We think it’s going to open the door to a lot of possible issues with people having problems with gambling.”
The Indiana Council on Problem Gambling director added, “If they decide to allow sports betting, we would like to see an increase for those who may have a problem [with] gambling. For treatment, also maybe some more funds to help us get the word out about problem gambling.”
Sports Betting Implemented Correctly
Alan Morrison said the bill would be a boon for Indiana’s riverboat casinos and racetrack casinos (racinos). He stated, “We have 13 casinos or racinos, boats. We have a handful of off-track betting facilities. Those would be the facilities that we would allow.”
The Brazil, Indiana representative said he wanted to include the right provisions to protect Indiana’s sports bettors. Speaking of consumer protections and problem gambling resources, Morrison said, “If we implement it correctly, and do some things we need to, I imagine it will mean multiple tens of millions of dollars back to the state every year.”
Holding the Statehouse discussions in July means it is too late to pass significant sports betting legislation in 2018, as most bills to be enacted this year should have been introduced by the end of the June session. With months of deliberations to debate the proper framework, Rep. Morrison believes Indiana could have a sports betting bill by the summer of 2019, though.
Terry Goodin on Sportsbook Debate
House Democratic Leader Terry Goodin (D-Austin) agrees with Morrison’s assessment. Goodin called for the Statehouse sessions to encourage input from a wide variety of sources, to increase the base of support for the bill.
In a call for bipartisan debate, Rep. Terry Goodin said, “If we do that, if we have a good strong civil debate, I think we can come up with a good solution. I don’t think any one person or one group can come up with the solution. I think the solution needs to be a mix of ideas and thoughts from everyone involved in the process.”
