New York Says No To Mobile Betting, Ohio Pushes On

New York and Ohio are part of a handful of states that are considered mobile betting prospects.

Governor Andrew Cuomo was presented with a budget for the upcoming fiscal year of $175 billion. The final spending package was submitted without the legislative provisions to legalize marijuana and online mobile sports betting first introduced. The word that mobile sports betting was cut undermined efforts made earlier in the year to expand New York’s gambling law.

However, state-government passed legislation may not be the path to permitting sports gambling in New York as the state’s constitution says voters must approve any gambling expansion which includes mobile betting. Governor Cuomo also maintains this viewpoint and suggests another referendum to settle it or amending the state’s constitution.

Nonetheless, the neighboring state of New Jersey can easily take New York bettors’ money. In NJ, real money gambling apps for wagering accounts for 80% of the state’s total betting handle. State residents that live in New York City are likely to drive to New Jersey to gamble on their mobile apps as the only New York betting options are in-person venues 2+ hours away from the city.

Despite New York’s missed opportunity with mobile betting, Ohio is considering a bill which will allow sports wagering through state-licensed real money gambling apps. The bill, SB 111, sits in the Ohio Senate as of this moment.

SB 111 is a bipartisan-sponsored bill introduced by Senator John Eklund and Senator Sean O’Brien. This bill would require bettors to be at least 21 to wager with casinos, racinos, and video lottery terminal sales agents able to obtain an Ohio certificate to conduct sports betting operations in-person or through an app. Applications would need to be submitted to the Ohio Casino Control Commission.

To obtain an Ohio sports wagering operation certificate, applicants would pay a $10,000 nonrefundable fee. After 5 years of providing sports gambling with a legitimate certificate, operators would pay $100,000 to the Commission and do so every 5 years after – much like a renewal fee though it is not detailed as such in the bill.

Ohio sports gambling revenue would be taxed at 6.25%.