Legal Sports Betting Bill Schedule For June 10 – June 16

With the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals and the NBA Finals in full swing, one must ask the question: Which states will have legal sports betting up and running this time next year?

After three years of failing to pass, Alabama is getting daily fantasy sports back after Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill into law that legalizes DFS contests. With pending bills in committee, could sports betting be next? Maybe, but don’t bet on it.

After passing in the House and Senate over a week ago, Illinois is one step away from legalizing sports betting after the legislature sent a gambling expansion bill — which includes the legalization of sports betting — to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk on June 5. The governor has voiced strong support for the bill and is expected to sign it later this month.

Oregon sports betting is set to launch before September after the Oregon Lottery Commission partnered with SBTech, but a couple of lawmakers are attempting to prevent the OLC from offering online and mobile wagering.

Residents don’t want to mess with the Texas sports betting bills that are currently in committee. If passed, the Lonestar State would be the first in the country — and perhaps the first place on planet Earth — to tax each individual bet instead of a sportsbooks’ gross revenue. You can tell this is their first sports betting rodeo.

Lastly, New Hampshire won its lawsuit on June 3 against the Department of Justice after a federal judge ruled that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting.

The Office of Legal Counsel under the Trump administration issued an opinion in late 2018 that the Wire Act covers all interstate online gambling, reversing a 2011 opinion under the Obama administration. Unfortunately, the DOJ may still enforce the 2018 opinion next week.

As for this week’s action on pending bills, North Carolina is the lone state and has a hearing on whether to establish a gaming commission.

To stay updated on all the pending sports betting legislation happening around the country, head on over to our US sports betting bill tracker.

Wednesday, June 12

Dates With No Action

*No state legislative action on sports betting bills for the following dates.

• June 10
• June 11
• June 13
• June 14
• June 15
• June 16

Jacob Jennings

Jacob has been writing ever since he was a wee lad, but he “officially” became a “professional writer” in 2013 after he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) College of Journalism and Communications. At UF CJC Weimer Hall, he learned from some of the world’s top professors — including Pulitzer Prize winners and jurors — in journalism, public relations, marketing, and multimedia. Alongside his passion for writing, Jacob has in-depth knowledge and understanding of all sports and esports and would wager that few know more than him, especially when it comes to his two favorites: NFL and college football. And because sports and betting go together like peanut butter and jelly, he chose to bake (and make) some bread by joining the team at SportsBetting.Legal in 2018. Today, you’ll catch Jacob betting, watching, and writing regularly on sports happening all around the world in addition to covering the legislation that’s currently in the works across the United States. When he isn’t working or watching his favorite sports teams disappoint him by not winning it all every year, you’ll most likely find him immersed in any number of video games, such as Borderlands, Dark Souls, The Witcher, or pretty much any competitive multiplayer game not named Fortnite.

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