Ohio State Senator Niraj Antani has introduced a measure that would call for the authorization and regulation of online gambling in the Buckeye State. Antani, a Republican from Ohio's 6th District, which includes Dayton and surrounding areas, filed Senate Bill 312 on Wednesday.
Antani's SB312 seeks to expand Ohio gambling into the online sphere by modifying numerous state statutes to allow the issuance of iGaming operator's permits to any of the state's licensed casinos who fulfill the application requirements. The online gaming would fall under the authority of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, which already oversees the state's 11 casino-gaming properties -- four standalone casinos and seven other racinos.
“As gaming has evolved in our state and we’ve seen massive success with sports betting, it’s now time to legalize iGaming in Ohio," Antani stated. "Many Ohioans don’t have close access to a casino or racino, but should be able to participate in this entertainment option. It’s time to bring iGaming out of the black market, and into the sunshine to provide it safely to all Ohioans.”
Online poker tacitly included in measure
Though the text of SB312 does not specifically include 'poker', Antani's intent for online poker to be part of the bill's planned expansion is evident. “I think you’re going to see poker, you’re going to see roulette, you’re going to see slot machines, things like that,” Antani told Ohio's FOX8 News. “Blackjack, any sort of card, game table, game, you’ll see allowed. That’s the idea here.”
Antani expects his measure to receive bipartisan support, even as the bill may have to allay the fears of workers at the state's brick-and-mortar venues who worry about possible cannibalization of live gambling by online offerings. Though often raised as a drawback, results from regulated iGaming states have shown online gambling to be a complimentary offering rather than a cannibalistic one.
SB312 has yet to be assigned to a Senate committee for consideration, nor have any hearings been scheduled. It's the first formal iGaming bill floated in the state, though Ohio's legislature previously created a temporary committee to explore the topic. That committee, though, produced no actionable results.
