Other changes approved by the committee include removing the cap of 10 licenses for sportsbooks.<\/p>\n
In addition, while the bill still allows betting on college games, bettors will not be able to make prop bets, such as how many points a basketball player may score, on any individual college athlete.<\/p>\n
Another amendment revised how the state would divide the proceeds to allocate $2.5 million annually for gambling addiction programs.<\/p>\n
Proponents of the bill say Tennessee loses revenue to neighboring states that set up gaming establishments close to the borders. The state would collect a 10 percent tax on the adjusted gross income from the sportsbooks licensed by the state.<\/p>\n
Tennesseans continue to game,\u201d said state Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville). \u201cThey are just not doing it in the state of Tennessee. They\u2019re going elsewhere, or if they are doing it (here), they\u2019re doing it through unregulated, illegal means where we are not collecting any revenue.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Opposition Still Looms<\/h2>\n
Despite the favorable vote in the committee, questions remain about its chances to become law. The Associated Press reported that a state Senate committee, in a non-binding move, voted against the bill.<\/p>\n
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has said in the past he opposes sports betting legislation. Although media reports have circulated that Lee\u2019s staff has been working with lawmakers on changes to the bill.<\/p>\n
Still, some lawmakers in the House committee objected to the legislation on moral grounds. State Rep. Curtis Halford (R-Dyer) said the fact that the state would need to earmark money for addiction treatment shows it\u2019s not worth pursuing.<\/p>\n
State Rep. Chris Todd (R-Humboldt) added that sports betting would serve as a poor tax. Further, even with the state setting aside funding for mental health and addiction issues, there are no guarantees those who require those services would use them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to know the consequences of opening this up to our neighbors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A bill that would legalize sports betting online in Tennessee advanced out of a legislative committee on Tuesday. By a 12-5 vote, with one member abstaining, the General Assembly\u2019s House State Committee approved House Bill 1. The proposal would allow Tennessee to become the first state in the U.S. to allow sports betting without establishing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":102489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,20,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Bill Allowing Online Sports Betting Passes Tennessee House Committee<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n